





| LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. | 

t =S%^.,.S.!5B.3 | 

— # 





LIFE 




OF 



Elder Walter Scott : 



WITH 



SKETCHES OF HIS FELLOW-LABORERS, 



William Hayden, Adamson Bentley, 
John Henry, and others. 



BY 



WILLIAM BAXTER. 



CINCINNATI: 
BOSWORTH, CHASE & HALL, PUBLISHERS, 



• 



■ ' ■ - . 



180 Elm Street. 



I8 74 . 




^%* 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by 

BOSWORTH, CHASE & HALL, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



J 

IP 



PREFACE. 



— ooj*fc<00 

T^OR some years after the death of Walter Scott, the writer 
-*• felt that it was sad that one to whom we, as a religious peo- 
ple, are so much indebted, should have no memorial from which 
the generations to come might learn how great and good a man 
God gave us in him. Still later, in looking at his work, and the 
great changes which he, under God, was the instrument of effect- 
ing, this neglect began to look like ingratitude on the part of 
those whom his labors had blessed. 

A short tribute to him from my pen, without my name, a few 
years since, wakened d6ar memories of him in many hearts ; the 
sketch was deemed faithful, and more in the same vein was asked, 
and when the writer became known, he was, by many, deemed fit 
for the work of preparing his biography, and urged to undertake 
it. Upon consenting to do so, I learned why it was that the work 
had been neglected so long. This was an almost entire lack of 
material for such a work — not in his life ; and the labors in which 
he was so abundant — but he had left little material for a biography 
save what could be found in periodicals scarce and widely scat- 
tered, and in the memories of those who knew him who yet re- 
main. He had lived so much for others that he had little thought or 
care for himself. Perhaps, too, death came suddenly ; and although 
it did not find him unprepared, yet there had been so little decay of 
his powers that the end did not seem so near; hence, no prepara- 
tion of what a biographer needs was made. 

Providentially, the writer was thrown into the very community 

in which Scott's first successful attempt to restore the primitive 

(iii) 



iv PREFACE. 

gospel was made, some were still living who heard that gospel 
from his lips at a time when it seemed strange and new, and 
who also received baptism at his hands; and much that was 
needed for a work like this, and that soon would have been lost, 
was gathered. 

In every instance in which it has been possible the dead has 
been permitted to speak — his views are given in his own words, 
and the effort constantly made to make him his own biographer. 
When this has failed, the best i-ecollections of those who knew 
him best have been used ; to those, without whose aid this book 
could not have been written, our thanks are due, and to one and 
all are warmly given. 

Much that would have been worthy of record has gone beyond 
recall, but something, we trust, has been saved that is worth the 
saving; and though the writer feels, as none other can, how im- 
perfect his book is, yet he feels that what has been done has not 
been done in vain. 

Imperfect as these details are, he who reads them will feel that 
he is in communion with a great and gifted man, and what is 
better still, with a pious, God-fearing one. He will think better 
of his race, and, we trust, be led to see the beauty of a life of 
trust in God, and a devotion to his truth, such as has seldom 
been surpassed. 

An introductory chapter has been deemed needful, that the reader 
may see by the contrast between what has been, and what now is, 
the great change that has been wrought in a great measure by the 
labors of him of whom we write. May God's blessing attend both 
book and reader is the prayer of the AUTHOR. 



CONTENTS. 



-o-o>*Koo- 



PAGE. 

INTRODUCTION n 

CHAPTER I. 

Birth — Ancestry — Education — Singing in the street at midnight — 
Emigrates to the United States — Goes westward on foot — Em- 
ployed as teacher — Is baptized 69 

CHAPTER II. 

Becomes Principal of an Academy — Sudden death of Mr. For- 
rester — An important document — Gives up his school — Visits 
New York — Disappointment, . 41 



CHAPTER III. 

Returns to Pittsburg — And resumes teaching — Sketch of Pittsburg • 

Church — Meets with Alexander Campbell and his father, . 56 



CHAPTER IV. 



Conversion of Samuel Church — Marriage — Extracts from his 
essays in the Christian Baptist — Need of the Ancient Gospel 

perceived, 

(v) 



69 



VI CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER V. 



PAGE. 



Removal to Steubenville — Visits the Mahoning Baptist Associa- 
tion — Mr. Scott chosen as Evangelist — His field of labor — Re- 
ligious experiences — The three brothers, .... 82 



CHAPTER VI. 

Favorable omens — Articles of faith of the New Lisbon church — 
Scott begins his work — Preaches at New Lisbon — The gospel 
offer accepted — Baptism for the remission of sins restored, . 95 



CHAPTER VII. 

Great excitement — Mr. Amend's letter — Assailed by preachers — 

Wesley's experience — Testimony of the church standards, . 109 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Visits Warren — Cold reception — John Tait's conversion — Sketch of 

Elder Bentley, 127 

CHAPTER IX. 

Meeting at Austintown — A. S. Hayden a convert — Church organ- 
ized — John Henry — Death of Joseph Gaston, . . . 140 

CHAPTER X. 

Scott's views misunderstood — Bishop Hobart's views of baptism — 
Thomas Campbell visits the scene of Scott's labors — Meeting 
at Sharon, and results 155 



CONTENTS. Vll 

CHAPTER XI. 

PAGE. 

DeerfiekU-Scott's visit — Amos Allerton the skeptic — Conversion of 

Aylette Raines, 168 

CHAPTER XII. 

Changes wrought — Anecdotes — Toad sky-high — Neither for God 
nor devil — Meeting of the Association — Scott re-appointed— 
WiUiam Hay den given as a fellow-laborer, . . . .181 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Sketch of William Hayden — Early doubts — Meets with Scott — 
Musical talent — Education in the saddle — Specimen of his 
style — Extent of his labors, 194 

CHAPTER XIV. 

A pleasing incident — Bentley and Bosworth appointed as helpers — 
Dissolution of the Mahoning Association — Scott's inflexibility 
of purpose — Campbell moved by his eloquence — Death in his 
family — Replies to Robert Dale Owen, 211 

CHAPTER XV. 

Removes to Carthage — The little Sunday-school girl — The village 

reprobate — Great success — A remarkable meeting, . . . . 232 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Abundant labors — Hospitality — Liberality — Teaching the Scriptures 
in his family — Washes a brother's feet — Tribute to B. W. 
Stone — Thomas Campbell and Alexander Campbell — Treat- 
ment of young preachers — Good news from other fields, . . 246 



Vlll CONTENTS. 

m 

CHAPTER XVII. 

PAGE. 

Discourse on the Holy Spirit — Extracts from the Discourse — 
Opinions with regard to its merits — Review of the Rev. S. 
W. Lynd's pamphlet, 260 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Crooked things made straight — The prominence he gave to human 
responsibility — In what respects his work differed from that of 
other reformers — Apostrophe to the Bible, . . . .281 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Social qualities of Elder Scott — Trip up the Ohio River, and pleas- 
ing incidents connected with it — Letter from one of the minis- 
ters whose acquaintance he made on the voyage, . . . 294 

CHAPTER XX. 

Visit to Kentucky — Effects of first and second sermon — Visits 
Henry Clay and Col. R. M. Johnson — Meets the widow of 
Alexander Hamilton — Visit to Bethany, Va., Pittsburg, Pa., 
and Warren, Ohio — Letter from Elder Bentley, . ... 308 

CHAPTER XXI. 

His ideal of a preacher — Exordiums — Themes for the ministry — 

Success attending his preaching — His labors at threescore, . 323 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Scott and Campbell compared as preachers — Dr. Humphrey's esti- 
mate of Campbell — Scott's description of the second coming 
of Christ — of the transfiguration — Sermon at Georgetown, 
Kentucky, 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



PAGE. 



His views on the great questions of the day — Opposed to the posi- 
tion of Soame Jenyns, M. P. — Position on the temperance and 
slavery questions — Views on education — Address before the 
College of Teachers at Cincinnati, 352 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Discussions growing out of Scott's plea — His own distaste for 
controversy — Debate between Hayden and Hubbard — A 
short controversy — The crawfish hole argument — Hartzell 
and Waldo's discussion — The farmer and scholar meet, . 370 



CHAPTER XXV. 

His plea for the name Christian — Visit to" the East — Views on 
Millerism — Removal to Pittsburg — Labors as a colporteur — 
Description of the great fire, 388 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

Chosen Elder of the Alleghany Church — Extracts from his diary 
at this period — Marriage of two of his children — Death of 
his wife, 404 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

Admirable essay on Christian Union — Encomiums bestowed 
upon it — Visits Bethany — Death of Samuel Church — 
Letters, 417 



X CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

PAGE. 

Deeply concerned at the prospect of disunion — His argument for 

union — His great grief at the prevailing troubles, . .431 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

The end at hand — The news of the fall of Fort Sumpter — Taken 
suddenly ill — Visited by Elders Rogers and Streator — Death — 
A. Campbell's tribute to his memory, 443 



INTRODUCTION. 



-ooXKc 



EVERY religious Reformation has brought before the 
public some great, pure, and unselfish men ; men who 
loved the truth not only more than lucre, but more than the 
praise of men, than place, than title, and we doubt not had 
they been put to the test, more than life itself. Who doubts 
that the intrepid Luther would have sealed his testimony 
with his blood, had the sacrifice been demanded, or that 
Wesley, who again and again serenely looked into the faces 
of the infuriated throngs that raged and howled around him, 
would have died as calmly and nobly as Polycarp, if not as 
triumphantly as he who said, " I am ready to be offered; I 
have fought the good fight ? ' ' There is equally good rea- 
son for believing that many who are yet living, and espe- 
cially the venerated dead who have been prominent in the 
great religious Reformation of the present century, would 
not have counted their lives dear to themselves had they 
lived in an age when violent death was the proof of fidelity. 
The true martyr spirit has been displayed by many whose 
blood never was shed, as really as by those who have died 
at the stake, or whose life current stained the sands of the 
arena. Long lives of patient toil, amid scoff and scorn, of 
glorious labor amid privation and neglect ; of poverty while 



1 2 IN TR OD UCTION. 

bearing to others the true riches, point out the men of 
whom the world was not worthy, and whom God will 
crown, as truly and clearly as Stephen's early painful, tri- 
umphant death. The long trial proves the heart as well as 
the short, sharp pang; and long endurance,- as well as short 
fiery trial, makes the man of God perfect through suffering. 
It is true that the reformer of our times has not to brave 
the anger of a Nero as did Paul, or of a Pope as did Luther ; 
and yet for a man of pure and elevated feelings, desiring 
the highest good of his race, the brand of heresy, religious 
ostracism by complacent orthodoxy, and misrepresentation 
akin to that which attributed the kind deeds of the merci- 
ful Christ to Satanic power, are neither easy nor pleasant to 
bear. The circle of Luther's and Wesley's influence is still 
widening ; both are now better known and appreciated than 
in their own times, or at any period since then ; and though 
the snows of few winters have rested on the grave of Walter 
Scott, his works are widely known and his memory fondly 
cherished. As truly as Wesley and Luther he forsook all for 
Christ ; a man of as pure life, of as brilliant genius, as 
abundant in labors ', as true a lover of God and man as they. 
" Though dead he still speaks ; " and he will be one of the 
remembered ones in all succeeding time. 

But to understand his life and work, it is necessary to 
know something of the times in which he lived, and the re- 
ligious views then prevalent ; a brief review of these, we 
doubt not, will demonstrate the necessity and magnitude of 
the reformation in which he acted so distinguished a part. 
In addition to this, our very prosperity as a people affords 
a strong reason for such a retrospect ; for as the Israelites, 
who fed their flocks in the vale of Jordan, or sat under the 
vines and fig-trees of the land which God had given to 
their fathers, knew nothing, save by tradition, of the Egyp- 



INTRODUCTION. 



13 



tian yoke or the journey through the desert, so the Disci- 
ples of Christ of the present day, rejoicing in their religious 
liberty and unexampled prosperity, know little of the con- 
flict through which a generation, almost departed, has 
passed; or the price which was paid for the spiritual free- 
dom and blessings which they enjoy. Fifty years ago the 
people known as Christians, or Disciples of Christ, were un- 
known. Here and there a few individuals in the various 
religious parties, by a slow and painful process, had, in a 
measure, thrown off the yoke of creed and sect, and com- 
mitted themselves to the word of God as their sole guide in 
matters pertaining to the soul's welfare. In most cases, 
however, this was done in utter ignorance of the fact that 
there were others in almost precisely the same condition 
with themselves; and, without any sympathy, concert, or 
even acquaintance with one another, each one felt somewhat 
as did Elijah in the day of Israel's apostasy, when he cried 
out, "Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged 
down thine altars, and I am left alone. ' ' 

This did not originate in a spirit of fancied superiority 
in knowledge or holiness ; but having drunk deep into the 
spirit of the Holy Scriptures, by making them their exclusive 
authority in religion, they could not but perceive that there 
had been numerous and sad departures from their teachings, 
and that in following human reason and earthly guides, vast 
multitudes had forsaken, or been led away from, the foun- 
tain of living water, and were vainly striving to quench the 
thirst of their souls from cisterns, broken cisterns, that could 
hold no water. • Looking into the word of God, they saw 
the way of life clearly, simply, and beautifully set forth ; 
looking over the' religious world, they beheld darkness, 
mystery, conflict, and contradiction every-where. When 
they looked at the primitive church walking in the fear of 



H 



INTRODUCTION. 



God and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and being greatly- 
multiplied ; and then at the differences, discords, and divi- 
sions of those claiming to be followers of the meek and 
lowly One, the contrast was sad and striking, and the ques- 
tions would rise unbidden : Are these the fruits of the teach- 
ings of him who came to save a lost world ? Did he intend 
that his followers should pursue such different paths? Did 
he not teach that a house divided against itself can not 
stand? Is what we see right, and the word of God false? 
These questionings were sore trials to their faith ; they were 
not anxious to find their religious friends and neighbors 
wrong, and themselves right ; on the contrary, the love of 
souls led them to desire that the multitude should be found 
right ; those whom they held most dear were attached to 
the views they felt compelled to question; many learned 
and godly men had believed and taught them; the early 
friends and guides of their youth had gone to the grave 
cherishing as true what they felt obliged to reject ; nay, 
they had themselves once held the same views without any 
question or misgiving ; but now the clear and solemn teach- 
ings of the word of God would rise before them and con- 
demn so plainly much of the religious teaching and practice 
of the day, that there was no other alternative but to say, 
" Let God be true though every man be found a liar," or to 
abandon their own faith in God. 

Their condition was one of perplexity; they saw fhe 
wrong, and yet scarcely trusted themselves to call that the 
only true path which the Scriptures seemed to point out so 
clearly; their own souls had just struggled into the light, 
and the first effect of that light was to dazzle and bewilder. 
They needed a leader who, like themselves, had once wan- 
dered in the darkness of error, and, having longer enjoyed 
the bright beams of the sun of righteousness, could better 



INTRODUCTION. 



15 



express than themselves what they felt must be true. Such 
a leader was found in Alexander Campbell, who, through 
the Christian Baptist, poured new light upon their path, 
and confirmed them in what they had long tremblingly be- 
lieved. But even he did not shake off the fetters of human 
tradition by a single effort, nor reach soul-freedom at a 
single bound, but he yielded slowly and painfully whatever 
he found the word of God did not warrant, and step by 
step advanced in the knowledge of the truth, until he 
reached that sublime determination, that he would commit 
himself to the word of God as his sole guide in religion, 
and follow wherever that word should lead. To speak 
what he found in the word of God faithfully and fearlessly, 
and to be silent where the word of God was silent, was 
thenceforth the rule in all his efforts for the salvation of his 
race ; and the blessings by which those efforts were attend- 
ed, eternity alone will disclose. The impression made by 
the first number of the Christian Baptist was deepened by 
each subsequent issue; the Bible, where it circulated, ceased 
to be regarded as a sealed book, and was studied with a zeal 
and zest unknown before ; great numbers from the various re- 
ligious parties embraced the new views which were set forth 
with such marked ability; and among them many who 
proved to be earnest and efficient helpers ; and the new 
movement assumed such proportions that its opposers saw 
fit to give it a name ; that name was Campbellism. Among 
those helpers and fellow-laborers, the first place in zeal and 
ability must be awarded to Walter Scott. Up to the time 
of his connection with this movement, the efforts of Alex- 
ander Campbell had been mainly directed against the errors 
prevalent among those professing godliness, with a view to 
the promotion of union among them; but Scott perceived 
that in addition to the evils of partyism in the Church, 



1 6 INTR OD UCTION. 

that there was an equal defect in the presentation of the 
gospel to the world, to the remedy of which he addressed 
himself with signal ability and success. Making the apos- 
tles his model, he went before the world with the same 
plea, urging upon his hearers the same message, in the same 
order, with the same conditions and promises, and inviting 
instant compliance with its claims. The position of Camp- . 
bell in taking the word of God as the only rule of faith 
and practice necessarily led to the new and bold step taken 
by Scott ; nor was he slow to second it in his public ad- 
dresses, as well as by his powerful pen. They were true 
yoke-fellows in the same glorious cause ; and when with 
tongue and pen they exposed long-cherished errors, and 
brought to light long-forgotten truths, many from the va- 
rious religious parties were ready for what they had to 
offer, and were attracted to them as particles of steel to the 
magnet ; and even from the world those who had well-nigh 
lost all faith in God through the false and contradictory 
views of religion which they had heard, and the discords 
which prevailed among those who professed to be the fol- 
lowers of the Lord, came and embraced and rejoiced in 
the truth ; of which truth many of them became able and 
successful advocates and defenders. 

But many difficulties attended this republication of the 
Ancient Gospel and return to the practice of the primitive 
church which it is necessary to notice. The first of these 
was the religious teachings of that day in regard to what 
was necessary in order to the conversion of a soul to God. 
In primitive times nothing was plainer, simpler, easier, to 
be understood. An apostle delivered his message in a 
style and mariner suited to the capacity of his hearers ; those 
who were convinced of the truth of what they heard, and 
showed their sincerity by an abandonment of their sins, 



INTRODUCTION. 



17 



and obeying the instructors which fell from his lips, were 
received into the favor of God and the fellowship of the 
church. The instructions given to a nobleman, traveling 
in his chariot, by one of the primitive teachers of Christi- 
anity, not occupying perhaps more than an hour or two, 
resulted in his conversion. An apostle found a company 
of pious women assembled at a place of prayer by the river 
side not far from a pagan city ; they had an acquaintance 
with the law of Moses, but never had heard the glad news 
of the Messiah's coming, of his death for sin, and the glo- 
rious offer macfe to all, both Jew and Gentile, through his 
gospel. This he made known ; some of his hearers gladly 
received it, and immediately entered into the enjoyment 
of the favor of God, through faith in, and obedience to, 
the Lord Jesus; and, stranger still, in that same pagan city, 
a man brought up in idolatry was brought in contact with 
the apostle and his fellow-laborer, and under their instruc- 
tions, between the going down and the rising of the sun, 
he learned enough to renounce idolatry, and to gladly and 
intelligently become a Christian. 

Every-where during the ministry of the apostles, the con- 
version of sinners to God was brought about by the same 
instrumentality : the preaching of the gospel — the simple 
scriptural statement of one case is the model for all. It 
is said "many of the Corinthians hearing, believed, and 
were baptized; " none of these elements were absent in 
any case of conversion which took place under the labors 
of the apostles ; and one of the chief of these, in reviewing 
his labors, says: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of 
Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every 
one that believeth." Forty or fifty years ago, instead of 
being guided by these plain scriptural teachings, and ma- 
king the cases to which we have referred models, the ut- 
2 



j 8 WTR OD UCTION. 

most obscurity and confusion prevailed with regard to the 
way in which a sinner must come to God ; so much so, in- 
deed, that it is doubtful whether any view could have been 
presented that would have been so generally rejected, as 
that a sinner could be saved by reading and obeying the 
instructions contained in the New Testament. The most 
prevalent idea with regard to this matter was, that the con- 
version of a sinner was an exercise of miraculous power on 
the part of God, which the sinner could neither so control 
as to bring himself under its influence, nor resist when he 
Was subjected to it. A favorite mode of expressing this 
view was, that the sinner had no more power to turn to God 
than Lazarus had to raise himself from the dead ; and no 
more ability to resist the power of God when it came upon 
him, than the dead Lazarus had to resist the call of the 
Son of God. 'No uniform view of the law of Christ, or of 
•the power of his truth, seemed to be present to the minds 
of preachers when addressing the people. Conversion was 
as much a mystery to them as to their hearers; they might 
be converted instantaneously or after a long season ; the 
most careless and indifferent might be made to yield when 
they neither expected nor desired to do so ; while others, 
sincere, earnest, weeping penitents, might seek the same 
blessing, yet seek in vain ; thus causing the inquiry to rise 
in many hearts, Why should God be favorable to those who 
neglect and even resist his grace, and yet be deaf to the 
tears and beseechings of those who seek his face sorrowing? 
The following scene, witnessed by the writer, not forty years 
since, will serve to illustrate the point before us, and is by 
no means an exaggerated picture of the state of things at 
the time of which we write. A revival meeting was in prog- 
ress, and a large number of persons were at the altar of 
prayer, and the ministers and some of the leading members 



INTRODUCTION. 



*9 



were giving the seekers, as they were termed, such instruc- 
tions as it was thought their condition required ; but all 
their efforts seemed of no avail ; the penitents were evi- 
dently willing to be saved, but the blessing they were seek- 
ing, and which their spiritual guides taught them to expect, 
was denied. One of the ministers was called on to pray 
for the mourners, and, after entreating heaven earnestly and 
fervently on their behalf, thus concluded his prayer: "O 
Lord! here are sinners desiring to be converted; Lord, 
they can not convert themselves ; O Lord, we can not 
convert them. No one, O Lord, can convert them but 
thyself;" and then, changing his tone of voice, added: "and 
now, Lord, why don't you do it?" While it is true that 
expressions like that with which he closed his prayer were 
uncommon, the feeling expressed in the previous part of it 
with regard to the sinners' inability, and the inefficiency of 
human instrumentality, the feeling that the conversion of* 
sinners was to be effected by something beyond their own 
power was almost universal. 

The thought that a man had the power to turn to God in 
obedience to the teaching of the Scriptures, or that minis- 
ters, bearing in their hearts and on their tongues the divine 
message of mercy, had power to turn their fellow-men from 
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, by 
presenting the facts, motives, and conditions of the gospel, 
would then have been as strange and startling as if it had 
been presented for the first time, instead of having been 
the rule in all the conversions which took place under the 
ministry of the apostles. In their day no one was con- 
verted until he heard the gospel preached, and those who 
heard the glad message, believed it, and obeyed the in- 
structions given by those whom Christ sent forth to convert 
the nations; were made free from sin, and happy in their 



20 INTR OD UCTION. 

obedience to the truth. Under their ministry, to hear, be- 
lieve, and obey the gospel was to be converted. Conversion 
consisted in having mind, heart, conduct, and state changed 
by a belief of, and obedience to, the truth ; every man was 
active in- his own conversion, and was urged to be so by 
apostolic authority, in such language as, a Save yourselves 
from this untoward generation." "Repent, and turn, 
that your sins may be blotted out." " Repent, and be bap- 
tized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for 
the remission of sins." 

But at this time, man was regarded as passive in conver- 
sion ; he was not required to do any thing ; could do noth- 
ing ; the work was God's alone. How many are there wko 
yet remember the state of things we have described ; those 
who attended for years the ministry of eminent preachers in 
the various denominations; who felt themselves to be sin- 
ners, but never were able to learn, from what they heard, 
what they were to do to be saved ; that was in the hands 
of God, and was as much a matter of uncertainty as the 
next drouth or the next shower, and one over which they 
had as little control. It was an age of marvels. God was 
expected to act as if he had revealed no plan of salvation, 
as if the great commission were no longer in force;, con- 
versions were as various as the temperaments of different 
individuals : those of persons of quick sensibilities and 
lively fancies were bright and clear, sometimes excelling 
even the most striking cases of a miraculous age ; while per- 
sons of calm, thoughtful habits were so far from reaching 
such raptures that they were almost reduced to despair. 
Nor was this confined to one denomination or the more 
ignorant portion of the community, as the following in- 
stance, by no means a rare one, will show. A very learned 
and pious bishop, who dated his conversion at the time oi 



m* 



INTR OD UCTION. 2 I 

which we write, gives the following remarkable account of 
it : " While in a retired place, praying, the witness of the 
Spirit was vouchsafed to me. A voice spoke, saying, Thy 
sins which are many are forgiven thee. I looked up and 
around, and every thing wore the garb of beauty." 

This is a more wonderful case than any recorded in the 
sacred volume, surpassing even that of Saul of Tarsus, for 
even in his case the Savior did not utter the words of par- 
don, but directed him to go to Damascus, where it should 
be told him what he must do ; and the instructions he re- 
ceived show that he was not released from any duty en- 
joined on the humblest disciple. But in the case to which 
we have referred, the Spirit is made to utter the words ot 
pardon, which it is never represented as doing in the word 
of God. But at the time to which we refer, the wonderful 
was common ; a dream, a light, a voice, the creature of an 
exalted or excited fancy was deemed better evidence of the 
favor of God than to obey the teachings of the Bible, or 
to imitate the example of those who were converted under 
the teaching of the apostles themselves. In a word, a dim 
and mysterious speculative theology was dispensed from 
the pulpit, and substituted for the plain and simple teach- 
ing of the word of God. Nay, the word of God was com- 
monly spoken of as a dead letter ; nearly every thing was 
made to depend on an influence of the Spirit, separate and 
distinct from the written Word ; and the feelings, frames of 
mind, and the emotions were supposed to be the opera- 
tions of the Holy Spirit on the heart, even when these 
were often in direct opposition to the declarations of the 
Scriptures of truth. A man, for instance, would admit that 
neither Moses or Christ had said any thing with regard to 
infant baptism, that the Old and New Testament were alike 
silent with regard to it, and yet prove it to be right, to his 



22 INTRODUCTION. 

own satisfaction, at least, by saying that the Holy Spirit had 
written on his heart, in letters of fire, that he ought to have 
his children baptized. What a man felt was deemed better 
evidence than either the silence of Scripture or a positive 
thus saith the Lord. Ministers, very generally claimed to 
be specially called, qualified, and sent to preach the gospel, 
claimed to be " called of God, as was Aaron," although 
that language is used with reference to the Savior himself; 
claimed to be embassadors of Christ, and yet often won- 
derfully mystified their hearers, who could not very clearly 
understand why it was that men who claimed to be called 
and sent of God, and embassadors of Jesus Christ, should 
present such different messages ; and why one embassador 
should, by divine authority, be pulling down what another 
embassador was endeavoring to build up. The credentials 
of this high office were sometimes as singular as the claims 
were great-; one minister, regarded as the foremost man in 
his denomination, placed great confidence in a dream he 
had in regard to this matter. In his dream he was carried 
to Palestine, and, in a room full of people arrayed in the 
costume of the orientals, he saw one who seemed more than 
mortal ; this personage singled the dreamer out from the rest 
of the throng, approached him, and, in a voice of singular 

sweetness, said to him : " George B feed my sheep ;" 

and he knew that it was the Savior of men that spoke. 
The claim to a special call, however, was maintained with 
the greatest pertinacity by those who were distinguished by 
nothing save an utter unfitness for the sacred office ; and 
the oracles uttered by these unlettered ones were frequently 
of the most astounding nature. Professors of religion, as 
a general rule, were much better acquainted with the tenets 
of their particular party than with the Bible. Conformity 
to party views was the test of orthodoxy ; and to deny the 



INTRODUCTION. 23 

teachings of the Church Standards, whether Creed, Cate- 
chism, or Confession of Faith, even though the Bible were 
silent in regard to such matters, was quite as heretical and 
dangerous as to deny the clearest and most explicit declar- 
ations of Holy Writ. Many of the religious parties re- 
garded each other as the Jews and Samaritans formerly 
did ; and the union of Christians, for which the Savior 
prayed with almost his dying breath, and when nearly in 
sight of the cross, was regarded not only as unattainable, 
but even undesirable. In view of the state of things which 
then prevailed, we are able now to place something like a 
proper estimate upon the work of those men by whose labors 
such a great and blessed change has been effected — a change 
quite as deserving of the name of a reformation as that 
which was wrought by Luther or Wesley. 

Nay, the movement of which we write resulted in a change 
deeper and more radical than that effected by either Luther 
or Wesley ; and, without the least disparagement of these 
great and good men, we may say, with truth, that their 
work was only preparatory to the reformation of the nine- 
teenth century, which has carried out into practice, truths 
which those earlier reformers only dimly and partially per- 
ceived. Luther's work in the main was a protest against 
the grosser and more evident corruptions of the Church of 
Rome, and Wesley's a protest against the formalism, want 
of spirituality, and lack of zeal for the welfare of the souls 
of men by which the State religion — Episcopalianism — was 
characterized. The poverty and abundant labors of the 
apostles, contrasted with the wealth and ease of the higher 
orders of the clergy.of his day, stirred up his soul to an ex- 
hibition of zeal, self-denial, and labor truly apostolic ; for 
no man ever demonstrated better than he what should be 
the life of a preacher of the gospel — not a life of lettered 



24 



INTRODUCTION. 



ease, droning out a few theological platitudes once or twice 
a week to a drowsy and listless auditory, and spending the 
rest in the library, at the luxurious feast, or amid the 
coarser joys of the chase or the revel ; but a life of inces- 
sant toil, visiting the sick and in prison, teaching the ignor- 
ant, relieving the distressed, preaching in churchyard, 
field, and moor, wherever opportunity offered ; preaching 
especially to the poor, and showing how the servant may 
imitate the example of the master by going about doing 
good. It is no part of our purpose to undervalue such 
lives and labors as these ; truth, purity, and goodness should 
be honored wherever they are found ; and such men as 
Luther and Wesley belong not to a sect or party, but to 
humanity, and we institute a comparison not between men, 
but principles, when we say that the Reformation of our 
own times contemplates a greater work than the reforms of 
any preceding age. Contemplates, we say ; we do not 
claim that all is done that needs to be done, and that must 
be done, before the church' of Christ shall appear before a 
scoffing world, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and ter- 
rible as an army with triumphant banners. We claim, 
however, that the right path has been entered upon, and 
the right principles discovered, which, if persevered in and 
carried out to their legitimate issue, can not fail to promote 
the purity and spread of our holy religion and the union 
of all who love our Common Lord. The Bible can not 
lead any faithful and earnest soul astray who sincerely de- 
sires to come to the Savior ; and as surely as that word is the 
sinner's best and safest guide, so surely is it the only plat- 
form on which all true believers can stand. There can, 
then, be no misgivings as to the correctness of our course 
when we point sinners to the Lamb of God in the very 
terms which the apostles employed for that purpose, and 



INTR OB UCTION. 



25 



when we propose the Bible in the place of any and all 
creeds as the basis of Christian union. The Reformation, 
then, of which we speak, may, with greater propriety, be 
called a Restoration, or a return to primitive and original 
ground. That such a course is possible is evident from 
the fact that the state of things to which we aim to return 
once existed. And that such a course is best must be evi- 
dent from the fact that the religion of Jesus Christ, as pre 
sented in the New Testament, is as far beyond the power oi 
man to change or improve as the laws of the material 
world ; as incapable of being improved as the air that we 
breathe, or heaven's own sunlight. 

That such a view of things should ever have been lost 
sight of is indeed astonishing ; but that all the confusion 
and strife which has arisen in the religious world had its 
origin in a departure from the word of God, and substitut- 
ing human reason and expediency in its place, no one can, 
with truth, deny. How sad and wide this departure was 
may be gathered from the history of those times. Men 
seemed to have forgotten that Christ himself is the Head ot 
his own church, its only rightful and true Lawgiver; that 
the Father gave him this position when he gave him all 
authority in heaven and earth, and constituted him head 
over all things to the church, all of which was indicated 
when God broke the silence of the transfiguration scene 
with the solemn and impressive words, "This is my be- 
loved Son; hear ye him." The fact that all this had been 
forgotten, and, in a great measure, departed from, as proved 
by the general prevalence of creeds, and a corresponding 
ignorance of, and departure from, the Bible ; the preferring 
of modern human names to the scriptural ones, Disciple 
and Christian ; the strifes, discords, and divisions which ex- 
isted ; the different and conflicting views with regard to 



26 INTRODUCTION. 

nearly every important element of faith and practice ; all 
indicated that a Reformation, or return to original ground, 
was needed ; the times demanded it, and the men were not 
wanting to enter upon the work, which in their hands was 
attended with such glorious and abundant success. And 
now that the Disciples have a name, an influence, and a 
history such as makes them a power in the religious world, 
what we have said in regard to their views and aims may 
seem to be a needless repetition of those things which are 
most surely believed among us, of which few among the 
hundreds, nay thousands, of our churches, and the tens ot 
thousands, nay hundreds of thousands, of their members 
are ignorant ; but our purpose is to show the many ten 
thousands of our brethren who have been gathered into the 
fold of Christ during the past twenty or thirty years, that 
the scriptural views to which they have always been accus- 
tomed, and which they can hardly conceive could ever 
have been lost sight of, were regarded, in the times to 
which we have referred, by the great majority of religious 
people, as the greatest and worst of heresies ; and by those 
who first had their attention arrested and hearts won by 
them as having almost the freshness, and giving the joy of, 
a new revelation. We wish our brethren also to realize 
something of the care, the toil, the anxieties, the persecu- 
tions and misrepresentations endured by such men as him 
whose life we propose to lay before them ; into whose labors 
so many have entered — the great fight of afflictions through 
which they passed in order to establish those views 
and principles which we wonder could ever have been a 
matter of doubt, much less of bitter and violent opposition. 
' Having, under the blessing of God, from feeble beginnings 
become a multitude, we should never forget those great 
and godly men whose labors hav,e brought to us such bles- 



INTRODUCTION. 



27 



sings, and whose example should ever lead us to guard well 
the precious trust they have committed to our hands. A 
graceful, loving, and elaborate tribute has been made to the 
memory of Alexander Campbell, and one that shall long 
endure to instruct and delight, by one whose pen adorns 
whatever it touches. Ten years and more have passed 
since his life-long friend and devoted fellow-laborer fell 
asleep, and the tribute which all feel to be his due has not 
been offered ; that duty has fallen upon me, and did not 
my heart urge me on my hand would falter; and, there- 
fore, if with feebler powers than many others, yet at least 
with equal love I present the following humble offering to 
the memory of Walter Scott. 



LIFE OF 

ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



-O-OJ^JOO- 



CHAPTER I. 

Birth — Ancestry — Education — Singing in the street at midnight — Emi- 
grates to the United States — Goes westward on foot — Employed as 
teacher — Is baptized. 

WALTER SCOTT was born in Moffat, Dum- 
friesshire, Scotland, on the 31st of October, 
1796. He was of the same ancestry as his world- 
renowned namesake Sir Walter Scott, whose poems 
and historical novels created such an interest in the 
reading world in the early part of the present cen- 
tury, and which have given him such a distinguished 
and permanent place among British authors. In the 
veins of both ran the blood of the heroes of the 
famous border feuds, among whom Wat. of Harden 
held so notable a place for deeds of daring not so hon- 
orable now as then ; but blood will tell, and the spirit 
which made Wat. of Harden the most chivalric and 
fearless of raiders, under different and more benign 
influences, made one of his descendants the foremost 
author of his day, and another, one of the chief mov- 
ers and promoters of the greatest religious Reforma- 
tion of modern times. The immediate ancestors of 
the subject of these memoirs were John Scott and 
Mary Innes, who were the parents of ten children, 

(29) 



30 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

five sons and five daughters, of which Walter was 
the fourth son and the sixth child. His father was a 
music teacher of some celebrity, a man of consider- 
able culture and agreeable manners. Both were 
strict members of the Presbyterian Church, in which 
faith all their children were diligently instructed. His 
mother was deeply and unfeignedly pious — a woman 
full of kindness and sympathy, sweet of speech and 
fruitful in good deeds. She was, moreover, of a 
deeply sensitive nature, of which her death afforded 
a striking and melancholy proof. Her husband was 
taken ill in the neighboring town of Annan, and died 
very suddenly. The shock was so great to her sensi- 
tive and loving heart that she died immediately after 
hearing the sad tidings ; and they were both buried at 
the same time in the same grave. At a very early age 
Walter gave such evidence of decided talent, that his 
parents determined to give him every advantage for 
its development ; and though at that period a colle- 
giate education was in the reach only of the sons of 
the wealthy, the moderate resources of the family 
were so husbanded and economized as to enable him, 
after the necessary academic preparation, to enter 
the University of Edinburgh, where he remained 
until the completion of his college course. In afford- 
ing him these opportunities, it was the wish and 
prayer of his parents that he should devote himself 
to the ministry of the church of which they were 
members. With these wishes and prayers his own 
feelings were in full accord, and all his preparations 
had that end in view. During his stay in Edinburgh 
he made his abode with an aunt who resided there, 
and pursued his studies with a zeal and success that 



EDUCATIOX. 31 

fully met the predictions of his friends and the hopes 
of the family. Although of a cheerful disposition and 
fond of social pleasures, he happily avoided the follies 
and dissipations into which many of his fellow-stu- 
dents were drawn ; and he even made his recreations 
not only agreeable but improving. He had naturally 
a good voice and a fine ear for music, both of which 
had been cultivated at home, under the instructions 
of his father. 

The talent and skill of Walter in this respect attracted 
the attention of an eminent musician in Edinburgh, 
who had formerly been leader of a military band in 
the expedition to Egypt, in which Sir Ralph Aber- 
crombie lost his life. This gentleman, admiring the 
talent of young Scott, volunteered to give him in- 
structions on the flute, and such rapid progress did 
he make that he soon surpassed his teacher, and was 
acknowledged to be the most skillful performer on 
that instrument in the whole city. While attending 
the University an incident took place which is spe- 
cially note-worthy from the fact that it was eminently 
characteristic of the man in all his after life — small in 
itself, yet one of those key-notes to the whole life 
and conduct ever to be found in the lives of the great 
and good. Among the* Scotch great importance is 
attached to the individual who first crosses the thresh- 
old after the clock has struck twelve at midnight on 
the 31st of December, or who, as they phrase, it, is 
the "first foot" in a house after the new year has 
begun. The first visitor or "first foot" stamps the 
"luck" of the house — the good or evil fortune of its 
inmates for the year. Hence, every house at that 
season has its company passing the evening in a 



32 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

pleasant way, enlivened by song or story, and among 
one class by what they misname good liquor. As 
soon as the hour of twelve has struck all present rise, 
shake hands, and wish one another a happy New 
Year, and not a few drink the health of each other, 
with some such sentiment as " May the year that's 
awa' be the warst o' our lives." But whether there be 
the drinking or the more temperate greeting and 
good wishes, in all companies is heard the question, 
" I wonder who will be our first foot," or, as we would 
say, our first caller in the New Year. In consequence 
of this custom the streets at midnight on the last 
night of the year are as densely crowded as they usu- 
ally are at midday, the throng, too, a happy one, each 
one intent on being "first foot" in the house of some 
friend, each one hoping to bear with him good luck. 
On one of these nights Walter, then about sixteen 
years of age, in company with his brother James, 
went over the old Edinburgh bridge to put " first 
foot" in the house of some friend. Having accom- 
plished their object, they went forth on the still 
crowded streets, and after recrossing the bridge Wal- 
ter was suddenly missed by his brother, who, suppos- 
ing that something had for a moment attracted his 
attention among the crowds they had been constantly 
meeting, hastened home, expecting to meet him there. 
Walter, however, had not come, and, after waiting 
until his fears began to arise, he went to the bridge 
where he had missed him. Here he found quite a 
crowd assembled, and from the midst of it came the 
sound of the clear sweet voice of his brother, singing 
one of the sweetest of Old Scotia's songs. Wonder- 
ing what could have so suddenly converted his youth- 



SINGING IN THE STREET. 33 

ful and somewhat bashful brother into a street min- 
strel at midnight, he pressed his way to the midst of 
the throng, and found a scene which told its own 
story. The young singer was standing upon the 
stone steps of one of the shops near the bridge, and 
a step or two below him stood a blind beggar hold- 
ing out his hat to receive the pennies which ever and 
anon in the intervals between the songs the crowd 
would bestow. All day long the blind man had sat 
and begged, and, knowing that the street would be 
crowded that night even more than it had been dur- 
ing the day, he hoped that night would yield him the 
charity which he had implored almost in vain through 
the livelong day. But the crowds were intent, on 
pleasure and friendly greetings, and few responded 
to the appeal of him to whom day brought no light, 
and whose night was no darker than his day. Young 
Walter drew near, and his heart was touched by hrs 
mute imploring look, which had taken the place of 
the almost useless appeal, " Give a penny to the 
blind man." He had neither gold nor silver to give, 
but he stopped and inquired as to his success, and 
found that few had pitied and relieved his wants. 
His plan was formed in a moment ; he took his place 
by the beggar's side and began singing, in a voice 
shrill and sweet, a strain which few Scotchmen could 
hear unmoved. The steps of nearly all who passed 
that way were arrested ; soon a crowd gathered, and 
when the song ended he made an appeal for pennies, 
which brought a shower of them, mingled now and 
then with silver, such as never had fallen into the 
blind man's hat before. Another and another song 
was called for, and at the close of each the finger of 



34 LIFE OF EIDER WAITER SCOTT. 

the singer pointed significantly, and not in vain, to the 
blind man's hat ; and thus he sang far into the night ; 
and when he ceased, the blind beggar implored 
heaven's richest blessings on the head of the youth- 
ful singer, and bore home with him the means of 
support and comfort for many a coming day. This 
story came from the lips of his brother, who is still 
living, and who found him engaged as- already de- 
scribed ; but were its truth less clearly established, 
all who knew him in after life would readily believe it ; 
they would say it is true — it is just like Walter Scott. 
Martin Luther is said to have sung and begged for 
the brotherhood of monks to which he belonged. He 
sung because he was sent in the interest of the lazy 
drones of the monastic hive ; it was with him a duty, 
and doubtless a painful and degrading one ; but the 
youthful Scott sang from the fullness of a sympa- 
thetic heart in the interest of suffering humanity. 

Not long after he had completed his education a 
sudden and unexpected turn in his history took place, 
which, without being intended as a prelude to the 
part he was to act in life, proved to be in reality one 
of the most important steps in his whole career. 
That event was his coming to the United States, a 
matter which had not entered into his own plan of 
life, or been contemplated by his friends and family. 
His mother had a brother, George Innes, in the city 
of New York, who had years before obtained a place 
under the Government in the custom-house. Such 
was his faithfulness and integrity that he retained his 
place through several successive administrations ; and 
having succeeded well himself, he was anxious to 
further the interests of his relatives still in his native 



GOES WESTWARD ON ECO T. 35 

land. He, therefore, wrote to his sister to send one 
of her boys over to this country, promising to do all 
in his power for his advancement. The proposal was 
very agreeable to the family, and, as Walter was best 
fitted by his superior education for the emergencies 
and opportunities of a new country, it was decided 
that he should go, and accordingly he sailed from 
Greenock in the good ship Glenthorn, Capt. Stillman, 
and arrived in New York on the 7th of July, 18 18, 
and on his arrival was kindly welcomed by his uncle, 
through whose influence he soon obtained a situation 
as Latin tutor in a classical academy on Long Island. 

In this position, however, he did not long remain. 
He had made some acquaintances in the city of New 
York, and from them heard glowing reports of the 
West, as all the region beyond the Allegheny Mount- 
ains was then called ; and he resolved to see for him- 
self the land of which he had heard so much. On 
•foot, with a light heart and a light purse, with a 
young man about his own age as a traveling com- 
panion, he set out, not dreaming that in that far land 
he would find a home, and without a suspicion of the 
part he would be called upon to play in the great 
religious movement then in its incipiency through the 
labors of the Campbells, father and son, but of which 
at that time he was in total ignorance. 

This journey of Scott and his young comrade, 
though a long one, was far from being wearisome 
and tedious. Each day's travel brought new scenes, 
and each night new society, and the lessons drawn 
from nature and human nature were not without 
their worth in after years. Our young collegian, hav- 
ing passed much of his life in the city of Edinburgh, 



36 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

had never seen a forest until he visited this country ; 
and it was indeed a new world to him when he 
passed through the rich and varied forest scenery of 
the Atlantic slope, the great pines of the Allegheny 
Mountains ; and gazed with wonder and admiration 
from their summit at the then almost unbroken forests 
of the West. What a contrast, too, he found between 
the mode of life, the comforts of civilization, and the 
society to which he had been accustomed in Edin- 
burgh and New York, and the manners and customs 
of the dwellers in the humble abodes where he found 
shelter for the night ; but it mattered not to him 
whether nightfall found him at some wayside inn, 
amid a throng of hardy yet somewhat rude teamsters, 
who then did all the carrying trade between the sea- 
board and the West, by the camp-fires of an emigrant 
family, or the log cabin of some recent settler, or the 
more comfortable farm-house. Youth, high spirits, 
and active exercise gave zest to every scene, and 
made whatever society he found enjoyable. Often 
during that journey did the travelers beguile the 
hours with songs that had never wakened echoes in 
those forests before ; and as the evening shades drew 
on, mindful of the home scenes from which they were 
parted, they lifted up their voices in the solemn yet 
joyful psalm. Every night's sojourn gave them an 
unfailing subject with which to lighten the next day's 
travel ; and the memories of that journey were cher- 
ished long after its close, and were sweeter than the 
experiences of after years in passing over the same 
route in coach or car. 

Reaching Pittsburg on the 7th of May, 18 19, he 
began to seek for some employment, and soon had 



BECOMES A TEACHER. 37 

the good fortune to fall in with Mr. George Forrester, 
a fellow-countryman, and the principal of an acade- 
my, by whom he was immediately engaged as assist- 
ant in his school. Somewhat to the surprise of the 
young teacher, he soon made the discovery that his 
employer, though a deeply religious man, differed very 
much in his views from those which he himself had 
been taught to regard as true. Mr. Forrester's peculi- 
arity consisted in making the Bible his only authority 
and guide in matters of religion, while his young friend 
had been brought up to regard the Presbyterian Stand- 
ards as the true and authoritative exposition and sum- 
mary of Bible truth. Differing as they did, they were, 
nevertheless, both lovers of the truth, and the frequent 
and close examinations which they made of the Script- 
ures resulted in convincing Mr. Scott that human 
standards in religion were, like their authors, imper- 
fect ; and in impressing him deeply with the convic- 
tion that the word of God was the only true and sure 
guide. Often, after the labors of the day had closed 
in the school-room, they would prosecute their exami- 
nations of the Scriptures far into the night, not in the 
spirit of controversy, however, but with an earnest 
desire to know the will of God, and a determination 
to follow wherever his word, the expression of his will 
should lead. Mr. Scott now felt that he had discov- 
ered the true theology; the Bible had for him a mean- 
ing that it never had before ; that is, it now meant 
what it said, and to devoutly study it in order to 
reach its meaning, was to put himself in possession 
of the mind and will of God. It was no longer a re- 
pository of texts, from which to draw proofs of doc- 
trines of modern or ancient origin, which could not be 



3 8 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

expressed in the words of Scripture, but a revelation, 
an unveiling of the will of God — the gospel was a 
message, and to believe and obey that message was to 
'be a Christian. He was not long in making the dis- 
covery that infant baptism was without the vestige ot 
a divine warrant ; that wherever baptism was enjoined, 
it was a personal, and not a relative duty; that it was 
a matter that no more admitted of a proxy than faith, 
repentance, or any other act of obedience ; and as he 
had rendered no service, obeyed no command, when 
he had been made the subject of that ordinance as 
taught and practiced by Presbyterians, he had not 
obeyed the command, " be baptized." 
How must this confmand be obeyed ? next engaged 
his attention, and his knowledge of the Greek lan- 
guage and a careful examination of the New Testa- 
ment, soon enabled him to discover that sprinkling 
and pouring were human substitutes, which required 
neither the going down into, nor the coming up out 
of, the water, of which the Scriptures speak when 
describing this ordinance. The modern modes also 
failed to agree with the allusion in Scripture to bap- 
tism as a burial, and were singularly unlike the bap- 
tism of Christ by John in the river Jordan ; and, in 
accordance with his convictions that there was but 
one baptism taught in the word of God, he was im- 
mersed by Mr. Forrester, by whose instrumentality 
the change in his views had been effected. After "his 
baptism he united with a small body of baptized be- 
lievers, which had been gathered' together and formed 
into a church by the labors of Mr. Forrester ; and in 
their society he found that peace and joy to which 
his mind had been a stranger during the period that 



IM 



IS BAPTIZED. 39 

the change we have described was going on. To this 
little congregation Mr. Scott proved a very valuable 
acquisition ; his superior education, his gifts, zeal, and 
piety rendering him not only useful but causing him 
to be greatly beloved. Realizing what the gospel 
had done for him, in freeing his mind from narrow 
sectarian prejudices, admiring its beautiful simplic- 
ity, and rejoicing in the assurance which walking in 
the truth imparted, he found himself possessed by 
an irresistible desire to bring others to that Savior 
whose truth had made him free. Having given up 
so much that was dear to him, but having gained a 
truth for every error that he had yielded, he supposed 
that all who were holding error, sincerely regarding 
it as truth, would gladly, like himself, be undeceived. 
He devoted himself earnestly to the instruction of such, 
in many instances with success ; but found in, alas, 
too many cases that time honored and popular errors 
were cherished as if they were saving truths. He 
had not, however, at this time the remotest idea of 
any thing like a great religious reformation ; the posi- 
tion he had taken, it is true, was in opposition to 
much of the religious teaching of the day; but he was 
like a traveler who had just entered upon a new and 
untried path, not knowing whither it would lead. But 
truth is always revolutionary, and the clearer the truth 
became to his own mind, the greater need there seemed 
of a bold and fearless advocacy. Had he seen this at 
first, he might have shrunk from the labor and the op- 
probrium which such a course would inevitably bring ; 
but for the present he felt only as most young con- 
verts feel : a sincere and earnest desire for the wel- 
fare of the souls of his fellow-men ; and with a very 



40 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

humble estimate of his abilities strove to do good to 
all within his reach as he had opportunity. The lit- 
tle company of believers, with whom he had associ- 
ated himself, were diligent students of the word ol 
God, humble, pious people, mostly Scotch and Irish ; 
greatly attached to Forrester, their religious teacher 
and guide, whose life was in full accord with his teach- 
ings, and among them Mr. Scott found a nearer ap- 
proach to the purity and simplicity of the primitive 
church than ever he had seen or expected to find on 
earth. Amid such surroundings, giving his days to 
the instruction of his classes, and his leisure hours 
and much of the night to the study of his Bible, the 
time glided swiftly and sweetly away ; a quiet, peace- 
ful, useful, but humble life seemed^ all that the future 
had in store for him, and more than this seems not 
to have, at this period of his history, entered into his 
thoughts ; but he who called David from the sheep- 
fold to the throne had a greater work for him to do, 
and the events which led to that work, began rapidly 
to unfold. 



^m 



BE COMES PR INC IP A L OF AN AC A DEM Y. 4 1 



CHAPTER II. 

Becomes Principal of an Academy — Sudden death of Mr. Forrester — An 
important document — Gives up his school — Visits New York — Dis- 
appointment. 

A CHANGE in the plans of Mr. Forrester made 
it necessary for him to give up his school, and 
as Mr. Scott had proved himself to be admirably 
qualified for the position, the entire management of 
it fell into his hands. The superior advantages in 
point of education which he had enjoyed, and a nat- 
ural aptitude for imparting instruction, made up for 
his lack of experience ; and in addition to these he 
possessed the rare faculty of so attaching his pupils 
to himself that he soon was regarded by them as a 
warm, personal friend ; and the result was that the 
prosperity of the school was increased by the change. 
His method of teaching was original, his manners 
pleasing ; politeness and morality were marked feat- 
ures in his school, and as the necessary result he be- 
came daily better known and appreciated ; his labors 
were well remunerated, and had success in his career 
as a teacher been his great object he might have 
been satisfied. 

But few things, however, were less in his esteem 
than worldly prosperity ; the more he studied his 
Bible the greater became his concern for the spirit- 
ual welfare of his fellow-men ; and as he himself ob- 
4 



42 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

tained broader and clearer views of the plan of re- 
demption, his desire for wider usefulness increased. 
The admirable powers of analysis and classification 
which he had hitherto applied to the sciences and 
languages, he now began to apply to the Holy Script- 
ures, and with such happy results that at times he 
felt a joy akin to that of the ancient philosopher, who, 
when a great scientific discovery flashed upon his 
mind, cried out in his ecstasy, " Eureka ! Eureka ! I 
have found it ! I have found it !" 

It is not intended by this to claim that Mr. Scott 
discovered any new truths ; that in the nature of the 
case was impossible ; but he discovered relations 
which the truths of revelation bore to each other that 
had for a long time, in a great measure, been lost 
sight of, and in consequence of which confusion and 
darkness had usurped the place of order and light. 
He observed that the advocates of religious systems, 
as opposite as Calvinism and Arminianism, claimed 
that their respective views were taught in the word 
of God — both claiming to be right and each asserting 
that the other was wrong ; but to his mind the 
thought that the inspired volume taught views so 
contradictory was most abhorrent. In nature he saw 
•order and harmony and an invariable relation between 
cause and effect, and he concluded it could not be 
otherwise in the plan for the recovery of our lost 
race. In the word of God he found precepts, duties, 
ordinances, promises, blessings, and between these a 
proper relation and dependence ; that the duties, in 
the nature of things, could not precede the precept, 
or the blessing the promise, or the ordinance the 
commandment by which it was- enjoined. Nothing, 



HIS SCRIPTURAL DISCOVERIES. 43 

to his mind, seemed more reasonable than that pre- 
cepts should set forth what duties must be performed, 
what ordinances obeyed ; that promises should serve 
as a motive to obedience ; that blessings should 
follow the doing of that which precept made known 
as duty, to which promise was the encouragement 
and blessing the reward. 

This order he found had been lost sight of to a 
greater or less degree by the various religious parties, 
by some of them to the absurd extent of placing an 
ordinance first, before the subject could possibly have 
any knowledge of the precept by which it was en- 
joined, or capable of the preparation necessary to 
make submission to the ordinance an act of obedience, 
and, of course, before the blessings connected with it 
could be recognized or enjoyed. In the Scriptures 
he found a profession of faith preceding baptism, but 
in the practice of his times the baptism preceded the 
profession of faith by many years, and in numberless 
cases- the profession of faith never followed the ordi- 
nance; but those who unwittingly were made the 
subjects of the ordinance, and taught in after years 
that by that act they had entered into covenant 
with Christ and were made the children of God, fre- 
quently lived and died as regardless of the claims of 
God upon them as if they had passed their. lives in a 
land where God's word had never been known. That 
faith should precede obedience seemed as clear to his 
mind as that a cause should precede an effect ; but 
much in the religion of the times he found to be as 
unphilosophical as it was unscriptural. If the gospel 
were not a variable and changeful thing, he drew the 
conclusion that its various parts or elements must 



44 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

bear a fixed and definite relation to each other, in 
order to produce a uniform result, just as the letters 
which compose a certain word must occupy a certain 
relation to each other in order to form that word ; or, 
as he frequently instanced in after life, in the word 
gospel no other arrangement of the letters would give 
the word ; and so he argued in the plan of salvation, 
only one fixed and definite arrangement of its facts, 
precepts, duties, ordinances, promises, and blessings 
was allowable ; that the derangement of the order 
would be the destruction of the plan, just as the change 
in the relative position of a single letter in the word 
gospel would give, not merely another word, but one 
without any significance whatever. In pursuing his 
investigations he was cheered and strengthened in 
his views by their harmony with the Scriptures, and 
this could scarcely fail to be the case since they were 
but inductions from the word of God after long, care- 
ful, and prayerful reading. 

The conversion of a sinner to God had long been a 
subject that perplexed him, on account of the mys- 
tery thrown around it by theological writers ; but 
when he read the accounts given in the Acts, of the 
course pursued by the apostles in turning men to 
God, he found that all mystery fled ; that those who 
heard, believed, and obeyed the glad message, which 
it was their mission to make known, were filled with 
joy and peace in believing. His noble and candid 
nature, and his profound regard for the truth, led him 
to examine carefully all the common or orthodox 
views in which he had been brought up, and which 
he had long entertained without a doubt as to their 
correctness ; from these he eliminated to be held 



DEATH OF MR. FORRESTER. 45 

sacred all that was clearly taught in the unerring 
word, and rejected all he had heretofore cherished for 
which he could find no divine warrant. Clearness of 
vision, ability to separate the true from the false, does 
not come in a moment ; the influence of early habits 
and associates ; the instructions he had received 
without question in his early years ; his course of 
reading and study when looking forward to the min- 
istry of the Presbyterian Church, with the strong- 
convictions of a deeply religious nature, which ren- 
dered him sincere even when in error, made the 
change of necessity a very gradual one. But he had 
discovered the true path ; his Bible he felt must be 
a safe guide; and though much of that path had yet 
to be explored, every step brought deeper conviction 
and a serener joy. 

In the meantime, his intimacy with Mr. Forrester, 
his religious friend and guide, continued to be of the 
most pleasant and endearing nature ; and the little 
congregation under his care, which met in the court- 
house, were his most valued associates. With the 
former he was accustomed to walk to the place of 
worship in company, and then to sit meekly at his 
feet as he expounded the word of God ; and with the 
latter to engage in the service of God as brethren be- 
loved. But a sad and unexpected change came. Mr. 
Forrester was drowned while bathing in the Alle- 
gheny river, and Mr. Scott was deprived of his dear- 
est friend and the little flock of its beloved and faith- 
ful shepherd. This calamity brought upon him new 
duties and responsibilities : to comfort and assist the 
widow and orphans of his lost friend, and to care as 
best he could for the spiritual welfare of the stricken 



46 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

and bereaved church. To these duties he addressed 
himself manfully ; the boy who sung at midnight in 
the streets of Edinburgh to help an unknown blind 
beggar, now that he was a man, could not be wanting 
in sympathy and helpfulness to the widow and or- 
phans of one that he had, while living, so esteemed 
and revered ; and the wants of the church soon called 
into activity those gifts for teaching and preaching 
for which he afterwards became so distinguished. 

He now began to feel more deeply than ever that 
there were thousands as sincere and earnest as him- 
self who were yet under the bondage of the system 
from which he had been emancipated, and he desired 
that they should, like him, enjoy the freedom those 
enjoy whom the truth makes free. Under the press- 
ure of such thoughts the duties of the school-room 
became burdensome. What was the enlightening 
of the minds of a few youth, and leading them up the 
difficult yet pleasant steeps of literature and science, 
compared with the work of rescuing humble, earnest 
souls from the spiritual darkness in which they were 
groping, and of turning sinners from Satan to God. 

At this juncture a pamphlet fell into his hands* 
which had been put into circulation by a small congre- 
gation in the city of New York, and which had much 
to do with deciding the course he should pursue. 
The church alluded to was composed mainly of Scotch 
Baptists, and held many of the views taught by the 
Haldanes, and were, in many respects, far in advance 
ot the other religious bodies. The pamphlet men- 
tioned was published by this congregation in 1820, 
and was intended to set forth the views which they 
entertained. The publication was quite a remarkable 



AN IMP OR TANT DOCUMENT. 47 

one for the times, as it set forth, with admirable sim- 
plicity and clearness, the teaching of the Scripture with 
regard to the design of baptism, which had been almost 
entirely lost sight of, and the practical value of which 
even its authors did not seem to realize. The careful 
reader will find in it the germs of what was years after- 
wards insisted upon by Scott in his plea for baptism for 
the remission of sins, and also by Alexander Campbell 
in his celebrated Extra on Remission. The same pro- 
duction fell into the hands of A. Campbell soon after 
it had been read by Scott ; but while both these, and, 
stranger still, the very authors of it, recognized the 
matters therein set forth as true, they saw them as 
the man whom Jesus healed of blindness at first saw 
the passers by — men as trees walking. But they saw 
they were true, nevertheless, even if they saw them 
but dimly. They had heretofore been wholly blind 
to them, and it was long before they appeared to their 
spiritual vision in all their significance and beauty. 
A few extracts from the work will here not be out 

of place. 

ON BAPTISM. 

"It is not intended, in this article, to discuss the import 
of the term baptism, as that term is well known to mean, in 
the New Testament, when used literally, nothing else than 
immersion in water. But the intention is, to ascertain what 
this immersion signifies, and what are the uses and purposes 
for which it was appointed. This can only be done by ob- 
serving what is said concerning it in the Holy Scriptures. 

"One of the first things that strike our attention in this 
inquiry, is, that the Lord Jesus entered upon his ministry 
by baptism, as he arose out of the water, that he was first 
publicly acknowledged as the Son of God. Matt. iii. 15, 17. 
This is very remarkable, and should be well remembered. 



48 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

" The baptism of John is spoken of thus : ' John did 
baptize in the wilderness, and preach- the baptism of re- 
pentance, for the remission of sins.' 1 And of those who 
came to his baptism, it is said, they ' were all baptized of 
him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.' Mark 

i. 4, 5- 

"John himself seems to connect this baptism with an 
escape from the divine wrath ; for ' when he saw many of 
the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said 
unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you 
to fee from the wrath to come?'' Matt. iii. 7. 

" The Lord Jesus, discoursing with Nicodemus respect- 
ing the nature of his kingdom, and giving him to under- 
stand that no Jew would be taken into it in virtue of his 
having been born a descendant of Abraham, observed, 
that, ' except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, 
he can not enter into the kingdom of God.' John iii. 5. 

" In the account given by Mark of the gracious message 
delivered to the apostles, and to be by them conveyed to 
all nations, it would seem, at first view, as if baptism was 
connected with salvation ; * He that believeth and is bap- 
tized shall be saved.' Mark xvi. 16. 

" To the same effect was baptism spoken of in the dis- 
course of the apostle Peter to the Jews on the day of Pen- 
tecost. He seems to have viewed it as connected with 
the forgiveness of sins. ' Repent,' said he, 'and be bap- 
tized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for 
the re?tiission of sins.' Acts ii. 38. 

11 Paul, relating to the Jews how he had been brought 
to confess the Lord Jesus, and speaking of what had occurred 
after he went into Damascus, described Ananias as coming 
into his lodging, and, among other things, saying to him, 
'And now why tarriest thou? arise and be baptized, and 
wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.' 
Acts xxii. 16. 



■i 



AN IMP OR TANT D OCUMENT. 49 

" The same apostle, writing to the church at Rome, 
and pointing out the efficacy of the doctrine of Christ, 
and the powerful motives which that doctrine furnished, 
for enabling the believers of it to walk in holiness and 
righteousness of life, speaks of baptism in the following 
manner : ' Know ye not that so many of us as were bap- 
tized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death ? 
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death; 
that, like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the 
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in new- 
ness of life. For if we have been planted together in the 
likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of 
his resurrection : knowing this, that our old man is cruci- 
fied with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that 
henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead 
is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we 
believe that we shall also live with him; knowing that 
Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more ; death 
hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, 
he died unto sin once ; but in that he liveth, he liveth 
unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead 
indeed unto sin, but alive unto God, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord.' Rom. vi. 2-1 1. 

" In the epistle to the churches of Galatia, the apostle, 
showing that men become sons of God, not by adhering to 
the law of Moses, but by the faith of Christ, drops the 
following remarks: 'For ye are all the children of God 
by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have 
been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is 
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, 
there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in 
Christ Jesus.' Gal. iii. 26-28. 

" In some of the exhortations addressed to the church 
at Ephesus, we observe an allusion to baptism too striking 
to be passed over : ' Husbands, love your own wives, even 
5 



50 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for her ; 
that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her with a bath 
of water and with the word ; that he might present her to 
himself, glorious, a church not having a spot, or wrinkle, 
or any such thing ; but that she might be holy, and with- 
out blemish.' Eph. v. 25, 27. 

"In another part of the epistle to the same church, the 
apostle, exhorting them to preserve ' the unity of the Spirit,' 
describes this unity as follows — ' One body and one Spirit 
even as ye are called in one hope of your calling — one Lord, 
one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who 
is above you all, and through all, and in you all.' Eph. 
iv. 4, 6. When we see a place so exalted as this assigned 
to baptism, we may infer that baptism is a matter of no 
inconsiderable moment. 

"The same apostle, warning the church at Colosse 
against the crafty ways of Judaizing teachers, and assur- 
ing them of the perfection of knowledge and of righteous- 
ness which they had by Christ Jesus, reminds the brethren 
of their baptism in the following manner — \ Being buried 
with hifn in baptism, in which also ye have been raised with 
him, through the belief of the strong working of God, who 
raised him from the dead. For you who were dead on ac- 
count of trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, 
he hath made alive together with him, having forgiven us 
all trespasses,' etc. Col. ii. 12, 13. 

" In the epistle of Titus, there seems to be an allusion 
to baptism, which deserves particular notice. The apostle 
desiring Titus to inculcate obedience to , magistrates, and 
other excellent duties, says, ' For even we ourselves were 
formerly foolish, disobedient, erring, slavishly serving di- 
vers inordinate desires and pleasures, living in malice and 
envy, hated and hating one another. But when the good- 
ness and the philanthropy of God our Savior shone forth, 
he saved us, not on account of works of righteousness 
which we had done, but according to his own mercy, through 



ON BAPTISM. 



51 



the bath of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy 
Ghost, which he poured out on us richly, through Jesus 
Christ our Savior.' Titus iii. 3, 6. 

" One other passage shall be noticed, where baptism is 
introduced and spoken of, by the apostle Peter, as the 
antitype of the water of the flood, whereby Noah and his 
family escaped death. * To which water,' saith he, 'the 
antitype baptism (not the putting away the filth of the 
flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), 
now saveth us also, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.' 
1 Pet. iii. 21. 

" From these several passages we may learn how baptism 
was viewed in the beginning by those who were qualified 
to understand its meaning best. No one who has been in 
the habit of considering it merely as an ordinance, can 
read these passages with attention, without being surprised 
at the wonderful powers, and qualities, and effects, and 
uses, which are there apparently ascribed to it. If the 
language employed respecting it, in many of the passages, 
were to be taken literally, it would import, that remission 
of sins is to be obtained -by baptism, that an escape from 
the wrath to coine is effected in baptism ; that ??ien are born 
the childre7i of God by baptism ; that salvation is connected 
with baptism ; that men wash away their sins by baptism ; 
that men become dead to sin and alive to God, by baptism ; 
that the Church of God is sanctified and cleansed by bap- 
tism ; that men are regenerated by baptism ; and that the 
answer of a good conscience is obtained by baptism. All 
these things, if all the passages before us were construed 
literally, would be ascribed to baptism. And it was a lit- 
eral construction of these passages which led professed 
Christians, in the early ages, to believe that baptism was 
necessary to salvation. Hence arose infant baptism, and 
other customs equally unauthorized. And, from a like lit- 
eral construction of the words of the Lord Jesus, at the 
last supper, arose the awful notion of transubstantiation. 



52 



LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



" But, however, such men may have erred in fixing a lit- 
eral import upon these passages ; still the very circumstance 
of their doing so, and the fact that the meaning which 
they imputed is the literal meaning, all go to show that 
baptism was appointed for ends and purposes far more im- 
portant than those who think of it only as an ordinance, 
yet have seen. 

" It is for the churches of God, therefore, to consider well, 
whether it does not clearly and forcibly appear from what 
is said of baptism in the passages before us, taken each in 
its proper connection, that this baptism was appointed as 
an institution strikingly significant of several of the most 
important things relating to the kingdom of God ; whether 
it was not in baptism that men professed, by deed, as 
they had already done by word, to have the remission of 
sins through the death of Jesus Christ, and to have a firm 
persuasion of being raised from the dead through him, 
and after his example ; whether it was not in baptism that 
they put off the ungodly character and its lusts, and put on the 
new life of righteousness in. Christ Jesus; whether it was not 
in baptism that they professed to have their sins washed away, 
through the blood of the Lord and Savior ; whether it was not 
in baptism that they professed to be born from above, and 
thereby fitted for an entrance into the kingdom of God, 
that is, the church of God here on earth ; . whether it was 
not in baptism, that they professed to be purified and 
cleansed from their defilement, and sanctified and separa- 
ted to the service of God ; whether it was not in baptism 
that they passed, as it were, out of one state into another ; 
out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's 
Son ; whether if any were ever known or recognized as 
having put on Christ, who had not thus been buried with 
him in baptism ; whether, in fact, baptism was not a promi- 
nent part of the Christian profession, or, in other words, 
that by which, in part, the Christian profession was made ; 



HE VISITS NEW YORK. 



53 



and whether this one baptism was not essential to the 
keeping of the unity of the Spirit. 

''And if, on reflection, it should appear that these uses 
and purposes appertain to the one baptism, then it should 
be considered how far any can now be known, or recognized, 
or acknowledged as Disciples, as having made the Christian 
profession, as having put on Christ, as having passed from 
death to life, who have not been baptized as the Disciples 
were. ' ' 

After such a clear expression with regard to the 
matter in hand, it is difficult to imagine of how little 
practical value those views then were. We know of 
no more strongly marked instance of theory outrun- 
ning practice ; the reason, doubtless, is to be found 
in the fact that nearly the entire religious world had 
lost sight of both primitive teaching and practice in 
this matter ; and those whose attention had been 
called to those long-neglected truths were not able to 
regard them as practical in the face of almost univer- 
sal custom to the contrary. 

The reading of this tract had much to do with the 
subsequent course of Mr. Scott ; he thought that a 
visit to the people holding the views which it set 
forth would add greatly to his Christian knowledge, 
and at the same time give him a favorable opportu- 
nity for making known the views which he had 
adopted, and for the spread of which he had such an 
anxious desire. Dismissing, therefore, all thoughts 
of. personal interest, and considerations of gain, he 
abruptly brought his school to a close, and set out 
for New York, to engage in labors and studies 
which he deemed more important, and, therefore, more 
congenial. The result of his visit, however, was a 



54 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

sad disappointment ; he found the practice of the 
church far in the rear of what he had been led to ex- 
pect from the publication which had led him to seek 
a more intimate acquaintance ; nor did there seem to 
be any disposition on their part to fall in with his 
views, which began to look in the direction of a radi- 
cal reform. 

He remained there but three months, long enough, 
however, to discover that the simple and self-evident 
truths of Christianity, which he fondly hoped would 
be accepted as soon as made known, were not to 
achieve the triumph he had anticipated. His hopes 
had seemed reasonable ; he had only the word of God 
in all its primitive simplicity to present ; he had in- 
vented no new creed, advocated nothing that the 
Bible did not sanction ; he had sacrificed as much in 
his abandonment of sectarianism as he asked at the 
hands of others ; he felt that the happiness of all pro- 
fessors of religion would be enhanced by laying aside 
every thing that savored of party ; that the cause of 
Christ would be immensely benefited by the healing 
of all unseemly divisions ; and to find such an un- 
willingness to enter on a course that promised so 
much happiness to man and glory to God filled him 
with sorrow and despondency. 

In the meantime, his loss was deeply felt in Pitts- 
burg ; the patrons of his school found that his place 
as a teacher could not be filled, and a vigorous 
effort was made to induce him to return. Mr. Rich- 
ardson, whose son Robert had been one of Mr. 
Scott's most promising and affectionate pupils, pro- 
posed the engagement of Mr. Scott as a private 
tutor for his own and a few other families. This 



HIS DESPONDENCY. 55 

plan met with warm approval, and a handsome salary 
was pledged. Mr. Richardson made the proposal to 
Mr. Scott, who was still in New York, and earnestly- 
urged his acceptance. The interest manifested in 
him at a time when suffering under keen disappoint- 
ment caused him to regard the offer favorably, al- 
though he did not positively accept it. He left New 
York, however, and visited Paterson, New Jersey, and 
found there a few professors of religion in a disor- 
ganized condition, but nothing to encourage him to 
labor among them. From thence he proceeded to 
Baltimore, and found a small church in a very low 
condition, but kept alive by brethren Carman and 
Ferguson. Then learning that there was a small 
body of worshipers in Washington City, to whom he 
might possibly be of some advantage, he says : " I 
went thither, and having searched them up I discovered 
them to be so sunken in the mire of Calvinism, that 
they refused to reform ; and so finding no pleasure in 
them I left them. I then went to the Capitol, and, 
climbing up to the top of its lofty dome, I sat myself 
down, filled with sorrow at the miserable desolation 
of the Church of God." 



56 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



CHAPTER III. 

Returns to Pittsburg — And resumes teaching — Sketch of Pittsburg 
Church — Meets with Alexander Campbell and his father. 

IN this spirit of dejection he continued his travels 
on foot to Pittsburg, a distance of nearly three 
hundred miles, and reached there weary and travel- 
worn ; but the warmth of his welcome on his arrival 
did much toward dispelling the gloom with which his 
late disappointments had filled his mind. He made 
his home in the family of Mr. Richardson, who was 
mainly instrumental in inducing him to return, who 
fitted up a room in his own house for the accommo- 
dation of the few pupils to which his school was re- 
stricted ; and he devoted himself with such zeal and 
success to the advancement of his pupils that he 
gained a reputation such as no other teacher in that 
city had ever enjoyed. His pupils were regarded 
in the light of younger companions and friends, and 
while he led them in the various pathways of science 
and literature, he strove at the same time to mould 
their manners and improve their hearts. He pos- 
sessed great tact and an almost intuitive perception 
of character, which enabled him to adapt himself to 
the different dispositions and capabilities of his pu- 
pils, and to make study more of a pleasure than a 
task. His rules were few and might be summed up 
in the words obedience, order, accuracy ; and the re- 



A PUP IDS TRIBUTE. 57 

suit in after years was, that some of his pupils ranked 
among the finest scholars and most useful men in the 
State. Among them were Chief Justice Lowrey and 
the eminent author and professor, Dr. Richardson, 
who, in his biography of Alexander Campbell, nearly 
a half a century after, thus writes of his beloved 
teacher and friend : 

"I would sometimes invite him to walk out of an even- 
ing to my father's garden in the vicinity of the city; but 
his mind could not be divorced, even amid such recrea- 
tions, from the high theme which occupied it. Nature, in 
all its forms, seemed to speak to him only of its Creator ; 
and although gentle and affectionate as he was, he sought 
ever to interest himself in the things that interested others. 
His mind would constantly revert to its ruling thought; 
and some incident in our ramble, some casual remark in 
our conversation, would at once open up the fountain of 
religious thought, which seemed to be ever seeking for an 
outlet. Thus, for instance, if I would present him with a 
rose, while he admired its tints and inhaled its fragrance, 
he would ask, in a tone of deep feeling, ' Do you know, 
my dear, why in the Scriptures Christ is called the Rose of 
Sharon?' If the answer was not ready, he would reply 
himself: 'It is because the rose of Sharon has no thorns;' 
and would then go on to make a few touching remarks on 
the beautiful traits in the character of the Savior. Then, 
in the exercise of his powers of accurate perception and 
his love of analysis and object-teaching, descanting on the 
special characteristics of the flower, and calling attention 
to the various elements which, by their assemblage, pro- 
duced such a charming result — the graceful, curving lines 
that bounded the petals and the foliage, so much more 
.beautiful than the straight and parallel edges of the blades 
of grass or maize ; the winding veinlets, the delicate shad- 



58 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

ings of carmine, and their contrast with the green foliage ; 
the graceful attitude assumed by the flower, as, poising 
itself upon its stem, armed with thorns, it shone resplen- 
dent in queenly beauty; he would pass, by a natural and 
easy transition, to dwell yet again upon the infinite power 
and glorious perfections of the Creator — the Lord that 
'was God,' that 'was in the beginning with God,' and 
without whom nothing was made that was made. Nor 
did he neglect, even amidst the daily duties of the school- 
room, to lead the minds of his pupils to similar contem- 
plations, so that they might be induced to ' look through 
nature up to nature's God.' The revelations of God in 
the Bible, however, formed his chief delight, and, in ac- 
cordance with his feelings, he took especial pains to famil- 
iarize the students of the ancient tongues with the Greek 
of the New Testament, for which purpose he caused them 
to commit it largely to memory, so that some of them 
could repeat, chapter by chapter, the whole of the four 
gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Greek 
language. It was also his invariable practice to require 
memorized recitations of portions of the ancient classic 
authors, as well as written translations of them. These 
tasks, irksome to those of feeble memory, and exacted, 
perhaps, in some cases, with too much rigor, tended, nev- 
ertheless, to improve the pupils in taste and accuracy, 
and to store their minds with charming passages for use 
in future life." 

His return to Pittsburg was highly gratifying to 
the little flock that had been gathered by the labors 
of the lamented Forrester, whose place, in a measure, 
they hoped this promising young convert would sup- 
ply. The members of this church, in which he was 
afterwards to act so distinguished a part, were all 
diligent readers and students of the Holy Scriptures ; 



SKETCH OF PITTSBURG CHURCH. 59 

and in their desire to conform to primitive usages in 
every respect pressed, perhaps, too far some matters 
which had their origin in the social life of apostolic 
times, the spirit of which can be manifested by differ- 
ent acts in our own day. They read, for instance, the 
apostolic injunction " salute one another with a holy 
kiss," and they carried it out in practice, and in con- 
sequence came to be known in the community as the 
" Kissing Baptists ;" but while it was true that such 
was the practice of the primitive church, they did not 
take into account the fact that it was not enjoined on 
the church as a custom to be practiced for the first 
time, but that it was the usual mode of salutation 
among the orientals, and only gave a higher signifi- 
cance to an established custom, just as the shaking of 
hands now, our common mode of greeting, becomes 
more significant when Christians meet and clasp 
hands as members of the family of God. The washing 
of feet was also practiced by them, not, however, as a 
church ordinance, but an act of brotherly kindness and 
Christian hospitality. But this, as well as the former 
practice, soon fell into disuse, doubtless from the fact, 
that to have insisted upon it would have obliged 
them, in order to be consistent, to have revived the 
use of sandals and the style of dress prevalent in the 
primitive age, which Christianity did not originate 
and was not designed to perpetuate. But their re- 
gard for these unimportant matters by no means ren- 
dered them negligent concerning the weightier mat- 
ters of the law : reading and committing to memory 
the holy oracles ; bringing up their families in the 
fear of God; social and family worship; and all the 
sweet charities of a Christian life were cultivated in 



60 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

that little church, and in its bosom were found men 
and women as pious, devoted,^ and useful for their 
means and opportunities as the world has ever seen. 
The Darsies, Erretts, McLarens, and many others, 
who have proved such blessings to the world, and 
promoters of the cause of Christ in the earth, were 
members of that little band, and where the influences 
that were set on foot there will end eternity alone 
will disclose. , 

The following incident will show the spirit that 
prevailed among them — a spirit noble as it is rare. 
One of the members had in some way injured and 
deeply wounded the feelings of Mr. Scott and Mrs. 
Darsie ; and as the aggressor showed no disposition 
to repair the wrong he had done, Bro. Scott went to 
Mrs. Darsie, and said : " We have now an opportu- 
nity of praying the Lord's prayer ; let us go and for- 
give him who has trespassed against us ;" and to- 
gether they went, and assured him of their free and 
full forgiveness of the wrong he had done them, and 
in such a kindly spirit did they perform their mission 
that the offender burst into tears, confessed his fault, 
and a perfect reconciliation was effected. 

It was not long after Mr. Scott's return from New 
York, in 1821, that his mind became possessed by 
what proved to be the great thought of his life ; 
namely, that the great central idea of the Christian 
religion is the Messiahship ; that Jesus is the Christ, 
the Son of the living God ; a proposition around 
which, in his esteem, all other truths revolve as plan- 
ets around the sun. To prove this he regarded as 
the great aim of the evangelists in the four Gospels, 
and which certainly was the avowed purpose of John, 



THE "GOLDEN ORACLE." 6 1 

for, near the close of his life of Jesus, he says, in ref- 
erence to all he had put on record : " But these are 
written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, 
the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life 
through his name." John xx: 31. 

In his biblical studies he received great aid from 
some valuable theological works, which he found in 
the library of his lamented friend Mr. Forrester. The 
most noteworthy among these were the following : 
Benson on the Epistles ; Macknight's Harmony of 
the Gospels ; Knatchbull's Notes ; Haldane's works ; 
Locke's Reasonableness of Christianity ; Macknight 
on the Epistles ; Carson's works, with those of Ward- 
law, Glass, and Sandeman, with many other useful 
works on ecclesiastical history and prophecy. His 
chief delight, however, as he himself says, was in the 
Holy Scriptures, a portion of which he committed to 
memory daily, and after the labors of the day had 
closed in the school-room. Midnight often found 
him engaged in the study of the sacred volume ; and 
he made a solemn vow to God, that if he, for Christ's 
sake, would grant him just and comprehensive views 
of his religion he would subordinate all his present 
and future attainments to the glory of his Son and 
his religion. Seldom was ever more solemn promise 
made ; seldom was one ever better kept than this ; 
for the theme which then took possession of his 
thoughts was ever uppermost, was ever after his chief 
delight ; and no one certainly ever devoted a life so 
earnestly and persistently to the elaboration and 
illustration of a single truth as he did, to what he was 
wont in after years to call the ''Golden Oracle" — 
that Jesus is the Christ. 



62 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

The reader, however, must not infer from this that 
he paid little regard to other constituent elements of 
Christianity, such as faith, repentance, obedience, 
the ordinances, prayer, praise, good works, and all 
that pertains to a true and pure life. All these he 
regarded as growing out of the great central truth, 
and deriving all their importance from the fact of 
being enjoined by that most illustrious personage of 
whom the eternal Father said : " This is my beloved 
Son ; hear ye him." He ever regarded the nature 
of Christ as above his work ; not divine because he 
had power to work miracles ; but he wrought those 
wonders because he was divine, and of that divinity 
they were but the proofs. Had he been but a man, 
a prophets — nay, the greatest of the prophets — his 
teachings would have been fallible, his example im- 
perfect, his death but a martyrdom that would have 
no power to cleanse from sin ; all his promises would, 
in that event, have been insecure, the final reward 
doubtful ; but being divine, his teachings must be in- 
fallible, his example perfect, his death a sacrifice, his 
promises sure, the reward of the faithful certain ; and 
he himself be an object that men might not only obey 
and love, but whom it would not be idolatry to adore. 

His mind had long been perplexed with the question, 
"Is there more than one way of preaching Christ?" 
The practice of the day and the different and even 
contradictory views set forth from the various pulpits 
favored the affirmative ; but with the Bible as the 
standard, and the apostles as models, he soon settled 
down* in the conviction that while there might be 
many false or imperfect ways, there could be only one 
true way of preaching the way of life and salvation, 



HIS REPUTATION AS A TEACHER. 6$ 

and that way, of necessity, must be that pursued by 
the apostles in making known to both Jew and Gen- 
tile the gospel offer. 

His reputation as a teacher, in the meantime, con- 
tinued to increase ; his school, as already intimated, 
was select, the number of pupils being restricted to 
fifteen ; but when he gave public examinations the 
proficiency of his pupils and the superiority of his 
method of instruction was so apparent, that many of 
the principal citizens urged that his school should be 
thrown open, that a larger number might receive the 
benefit of his instructions ; and as soon as this was 
done the number ran up to one hundred and forty. 
The only difference which took place between his pa- 
trons and himself was in regard to the nature and ex- 
tent of religious instruction in his school, he being in 
favor of the New Testament being read daily, and they, 
who were mainly Presbyterians, preferring that the 
Westminster Catechism should be taught. Against 
this he took a decided stand, and gives as his reason, 
that even at that early date of his religious profession 
he was thoroughly convinced that in regard to Chris- 
tianity it was his duty to teach it, not as found in 
creeds and party standards, but just as it was written. 
Being unable to agree upon the matter, a compromise 
was made ; all catechisms were laid aside, and a chap- 
ter in the New Testament allowed to be read every 
Saturday. For the good of his pupils he determined 
to make the most of this, and having, as he says, had 
his whole soul aroused, and astonished by the views 
of Christ which were unfolded to him during his in- 
tense and prayerful study of the gospels, he deter- 
mined that the lessons should be drawn from the four 



64 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

evangelists ; that Christ sho„uld be the theme of each 
Saturday's lesson ; and that the great point might be 
kept before the minds of his pupils during the week 
he wrote with chalk, in large letters, over the door of 
his academy, in the inside, the words "Jesus is the 
Christ." 

It was in Pittsburg, while thus engaged, in the win- 
ter of 1821-22, that he first met Alexander Campbell, 
with whom his own history and efforts in the future 
were to be so intimately blended. Mr. Campbell, 
who was nearly ten years his senior, had been well 
educated, and, like himself, intended for the Presby- 
terian ministry ; but being of an original turn of 
mind, a bold and independent thinker, he found, at an 
early age, that he could not be limited by the narrow 
bounds of a party creed, but desired to explore for 
himself the ocean of revealed truth. He did not 
commit the common yet fatal mistake of rejecting 
the Bible on account of the divisions and contradic- 
tions existing between the various religious sects and 
parties : these, he perceived, did not have their origin 
in the Word of God, but rather resulted from a neg- 
lect or departure from it ; and though he had uncon- 
sciously imbibed many errors in early life, when too 
young to question and discriminate, he dismissed 
them one by one without a sigh and scarcely a strug- 
gle when he found them without foundation in the 
Word of God. For that Word he had always cher- 
ished the deepest reverence, and when in early man- 
hood he "was in imminent peril by shipwreck he 
made a solemn promise to God that if delivered from 
the threatened peril he would devote his life to the 
work of preaching the gospel. It was at once a sur- 



al 



MEETS WITH ALEXANDER CAMPBELL. 65 

prise and a pleasure to those two men, on meeting, 
to find that they occupied common ground, when 
each had heretofore regarded himself as almost alone 
in his views of the Christian religion and of the rem- 
edy for the divisions and party strifes by which the 
religious world was agitated. That remedy was the 
abandonment of all creeds, confessions of faith, and 
party standards, and a return to the Word of God as 
the only rule of faith and practice. Peace and unity, 
they knew, had prevailed as long as that Word was re- 
garded as the only safe rule and guide ; and though it 
had been widely departed from, still they did not 
doubt that a return to it would result in blessings 
untold to the church and the world. 

But the reader must here be reminded that though 
they had found the right path, they had by no means 
explored it ; they had discovered what was a sure and 
safe test of religious truth, but, save in a few in- 
stances, they had not applied it ; they were like mar- 
iners with perfect confidence in the chart on which 
their course was marked out, but as yet had not seen 
all the rich islands which gemmed the bosom of the 
deep, over which they must sail before the safe, quiet 
harbor of their hopes was gained. They were' reform- 
ers, but reformers only in embryo or promise — re- 
formers like Luther, when he first found, opened, and 
read the Bible ; like Wesley, in his little prayer-meet- 
ing at Oxford — reformers with their work before 
them, with its extent and importance but imperfectly 
realized ; but the work was still to be done. 

In regard to this meeting with Mr. Campbell, Mr. 
Scott says : "When my acquaintance with him began, 
our age and feelings alike rendered us susceptible of 
6 



66 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

a mutual attachment, and that was formed, I trust, 
on the best of principles. If the regard which we 
cherished for each other was exalted by any thing 
purely incidental, that thing was an ardent desire in 
the bosom of both to reform the Christian profession, 
which to each of us appeared in a state of the most 
miserable destitution." Both of them had at one 
time been highly Calvinistic in belief; and while 
they saw and deplored the distracted condition of 
religious affairs, it seemed as if all efforts toward an 
improvement would prove unavailing ; but when they 
were freed from the incubus of a party theology, they 
felt that the Word of God, so far from producing the 
state of things which had caused them such sorrow, 
really condemned them and contained in itself all the 
elements necessary to a cure. Mr. Scott's meeting 
with Alexander Campbell naturally opened the way 
to an acquaintance with his father, Thomas Camp- 
bell, between whom and his gifted son there existed 
the most perfect sympathy of feeling in their relig- 
ious views and efforts. 

At that time there were few, if any, better educated 
ministers in America than the elder Campbell ; and 
he was not less remarkable for his perfect courtesy of 
manner and well developed Christian character, than 
for his natural ability and literary culture ; and look- 
ing at the trio, Thomas Campbell, Alexander Camp- 
bell, and Walter Scott, as we now can in the light of 
their finished lives and work, it may be said truthfully 
that they were not surpassed in genius, eloquence, 
talent, learning, energy, devotion to the truth, and 
purity of life, by any three men of the age in which 
they lived. * 



THE THREE FRIENDS. 67 

The esteem which Mr. Scott and Thomas Campbell 
soon learned to entertain for each other was after- 
wards strengthened by much personal intercourse 
and united labor in presenting to the world the views 
which they held in common, and to the spread of 
which they contributed so much, so that their natural 
affection and regard seemed like that of father and 
son. In regard to this intimacy, the elder Campbell 
wrote thus to, Scott many years after : " I think I 
should know you, and that you also should know me. 
We have participated in the most confidential inti- 
macy, and I know of nothing that should abate it. 
Our mutual esteem and unfeigned attachment to each 
other have been to me precious items of comfort and 
satisfaction, the privation of which would inflict a 
serious wound, more especially because it is so inti- 
mately connected, I had almost said identified, with 
my feelings in relation to the promotion of the inter- 
ests of the Redeemer's kingdom within the limits of 
our mutual co-operation." 

Alexander Campbell, nearly twenty years after they 
first met, thus writes to Scott : " We were associated 
in the days of weakness, infancy, and imbecility, and 
tried in the vale of adversity, while as yet there was 
but a handful. My father, yourself, and myself were 
the only three spirits that could (and providentially 
we were the only persons thrown together that were 
capable of forming any general or comprehensive 
views of things spiritual and ecclesiastical) co-operate 
in a great work or enterprise. The Lord greatly 
blessed our very imperfect and feeble beginnings ; 
and this is one reason worth a million that we ought 
always to cherish the kindest feelings, esteem, admir- 



68 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

ation, love." This feeling was fully reciprocated on 
the part of Scott. 

And now, having brought together these three men 
of such great and varied talents, animated by a pur- 
pose at once great and good, the reader can not fail to 
discern the hand of Providence in the matter ; and 
now that the instrumentalities are prepared and 
brought together, it will not surprise us to see the 
work to which, in the providence of God, they were 
called, spread and prosper. 



CONVERSION OF SAMUEL CHURCH. 69 



CHAPTER IV. 

Conversion of Samuel Church — Marriage — Extracts from his essays in the 
Christian Baptist — Need of the Ancient Gospel perceived. 

DURING the lifetime of Mr. Forrester, the position 
of Mr. Scott in the ch urch was that of a pupil ; hav- 
ing been brought into it by the labors of his friend, he 
had ever looked up to him with an affection and respect 
that almost might be termed veneration, and, though 
having a wider range of thought and a much higher 
degree of cultivation, he felt all the meekness and hu- 
mility of a child at the feet of its teacher. But when 
that teacher and guide was so unexpectedly removed, 
he was placed in a new relation to the little commu- 
nity for which his departed friend had labored so long 
and faithfully. He became now a teacher where he 
had lately been a pupil ; but being thus thrown on 
his own resources his natural diffidence soon gave 
place to self-reliance, and his remarkable abilities 
developed rapidly. He not only strengthened the 
church by his admirable method of teaching the 
Scriptures, but he also increased its numbers by con- 
vincing and persuading others to obey the truth. 
Prominent among his early converts was Samuel 
Church, whose labors were afterwards made such a 
blessing to multitudes, and whose memory is so pre- 
cious still. His early training was among the Cove- 
nanters, but he afterwards became a member of an 



70 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

Independent church, of which Mr. John Tassey was the 
pastor. He was a close student, however, of the Bi- 
ble, and its truths made a much deeper impression on 
his mind and heart than the peculiarities of his 
church ; and at a very early age he was one of the 
most active workers in one of the first Sabbath- 
schools of the city. Having made the acquaintance 
of Mr. Scott, he soon became deeply interested in the 
then novel views which he advocated. These views, 
he was not slow to perceive, had a resemblance to his 
Bible readings, and a closer examination satisfied him 
that they were identical ; for he found that Mr. Scott 
was able to do what he himself found impossible — 
namely, to express his views in the very language of 
the Holy Scriptures. The conflict was not as for- 
merly between the views of the Covenanters and In- 
dependents, the comparative merits of differing creeds, 
but between a human theory supported by texts of 
Scripture often sadly misapplied, and the uniform and 
consistent teaching of the Word of the living God. 
He soon discovered that Infant Baptism was not only 
inferential, but that the inference was wholly unwar- 
ranted, and that the mode of baptism, as then prac- 
ticed, was wholly unlike the teaching of the New Tes- 
tament upon that subject. In a word, the whole gos- 
pel plan had now a plainness, beauty, and simplicity 
which the theology under which he had been brought 
up had, in a great measure, obscured, and he felt that 
the pearl of truth for which he had long been dili- 
gently seeking was found at last. He accordingly 
made a public profession of his faith in the Lord 
Jesus, and was immersed by Mr. Scott. He was at 
that time about twenty-three years of age, extremely 



A GREAT BIBLE STUDENT. J I 

engaging in his appearance and pleasing in his man- 
ners. In his heart the good seed found a rich and 
genial soil, and brought forth in his subsequent life 
an abundant harvest. His education was limited, but 
his mind was enriched by various and careful read- 
ing, so that he was able to express his thoughts with 
great force and clearness ; he was, moreover, endowed 
with rare wisdom and common sense, and a kinder 
heart never beat in human breast. His knowledge 
of the Bible, by long and close study, became remark- 
able, indeed wonderful ; he was a diligent student of it 
from his early youth, and at the age of forty he had 
read the New Testament through one hundred and 
fifty times, and the Old Testament half that number. 
By this means he made the thoughts of the* sacred 
writers his own, could quote accurately from any por- 
tion of the sacred record, and had such an admirable 
knowledge of its scope and the relation of its various 
parts that Alexander Campbell, in the height of his 
power and success as a defender of the Christian re- 
ligion against attacks from all quarters, said that he 
would rather trust Samuel Church in the discussion 
of any subject that could be settled by the common 
version of the Bible than any other man within his 
knowledge. He always carried with him a small copy 
of the Bible, that he might read it whenever or wher- 
ever an opportunity occurred — in the intervals of busi- 
ness, on his travels, or, where he was often found, by the 
bedside of the sick and the dying. 

One or two instances of his love for the Bible may 
be mentioned. One evening he went to prayer-meet- 
ing, but in consequence of a severe storm no one but 
himself was there; but he spent more than the allotted 



*J2 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

time in reading the entire gospel by Luke. Indeed, 
the writer has never known any one who devoted so 
much of his life to the reading and study of the Word of 
God as did this good man ; it was near arid dear to 
his heart all his life, and he asked, when dying, that 
it should be placed beneath his pillow. 

Another congregation was established in Allegheny 
City, over which Mr. Church presided for nearly thirty 
years, with such success that it soon outnumbered 
the church in Pittsburg, and became one of the most 
noted and influential churches in the movement called 
the Reformation. A very warm attachment sprung 
up between Mr. Scott and his amiable and earnest 
young convert, which grew and increased until death 
severed them for a season. 

On the 3d of January, 1823, Mr. Scott was united 
in marriage with Miss Sarah Whitsett, at that time a 
member of the religious body known as Covenanters ; 
she afterwards united with the church then under 
the care of her husband, to whom she proved to be a 
faithful and affectionate helper, who shared without 
murmuring the toils and privations incident to such 
a life as his labors and sacrifices made it necessary to 
lead. "He was -at this time about" 26 years of age, 
about the medium height, slender and rather spare in 
person, and possessed of little muscular strength. 
His aspect was abstracted, meditative, and sometimes 
had even an air of sadness. His nose was straight, his 
lips rather full, but delicately chiseled ; his eyes dark 
and lustrous ; full of intelligence and tenderness ; and 
his hair, clustering above his fine ample forehead, was 
black as the raven's wing." Such, doubtless, he ap- 
peared then to his favorite pupil, to whom we are in- 



THE CHRISTIAN BAPTIST. 7$ 

debted for the above description. But it must be 
remembered that the teacher is often an object of 
reverence and awe to the pupil, and this may have 
rendered the picture less attractive than it would have 
been if drawn by another hand. The writer knew him 
well in after . years, subject, at times, it is true, to 
hours of depression, but in the main, genial and even 
mirthful ; abounding in anecdotes and brilliant flashes 
of wit and repartee, and especially delighting in, and 
delightful to, the young. His entrance into a room 
full of young people, instead of checking or clouding 
their mirth, served only to increase it ; and was like 
the letting in of additional sunshine. 

It was in this year that his friend A. Campbell pro- 
jected his first publication, which afterwards became so 
famous ; but before issuing the work he consulted Mr. 
Scott in regard to it. He intended to name his paper 
"The Christian;" but Mr. Scott suggested that it might 
disarm prejudice and secure a wider circulation were 
he to call it "The Christian Baptist," especially as it 
was expected to circulate mainly among the Baptists, 
among whom the elements of reform had for some 
time been slowly and silently spreading. Mr. Scott's 
suggestion met his approval, and the periodical, which 
produced the greatest revolution in religious thought 
in this century, was issued in August, 1823, under 
the name of " The Christian Baptist." 

From the time of his first meeting with Mr. Scott, 
Mr. Campbell had felt that he had met with no ordi- 
nary man, and having discovered, he was not slow to 
acknowledge, his ability, and urged him to set forth his 
views through the medium of the new periodical to 
which he had given a name. In accordance with this 
7 



74 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

invitation he prepared an article for the first number, 
with the caption, "A Divinely Authorized Plan of 
Teaching the Christian Religion." Mr. Campbell 
himself had an article headed the " Christian Reli£- 
ion;" and his father contributed an essay on the 
" Primary Intention of the Gospel." 

The publication of this paper marked a new era in 
religious literature ; the novelty of the views, the ex- 
traordinary ability with which they were set forth, the 
reforms for which they called, and, above all, their evi- 
dent truth, created an interest and an inquiry such as 
has seldom been equaled. 

Mr. Scott continued his Essays on the theme above 
mentioned through four numbers of "The Christian 
Baptist," and in them he says or suggests all that is 
needed on that subject. They are, in a word, exhaust- 
ive, embodying, as they do, the earnest and prayerful 
reflections of years ; and in vigor of style and felicity 
of expression they will not suffer by comparison with 
the finest productions of the present day. 

A few extracts from these Essays will bring before 
the mind of the reader the needs of those times, and 
justify all we have said concerning them : 

' c Were a vision vouchsafed us for the single purpose of 
revealing one uniform and universal plan of teaching the 
Christian religion, would not every Christian admire the 
goodness of God in determining a matter on which scarce 
two calling themselves Christian teachers now agree? 
Would not every teacher feel himself bound in duty to 
abandon his own plan and to adopt the plan of God ; to 
study it, to teach it, and, in short, to maintain its superi- 
ority and authority against all other schemes, how plausi- 
ble soever in their configuration, how apparently suitable 



ESSA YS IN CHRISTIAN BAPTIST. 75 

soever in their application ? The writer has not been 
favored with any vision on this matter ; moreover, as he 
deems it unnecessary, he of course does not expect any ; 
and surely, if his plan be authorized by the example of 
God himself; by the Lord Jesus Christ ; by the Holy 
Spirit, in his method of presenting the truth to all men 
in the Scriptures ; if the apostles taught the truth on this 
plan ; and if missionaries in teaching idolaters feel them- 
selves forced to the adoption of it, then there is no need 
of angel or vision. Times out of number we are told in 
Scripture that the grand saving truth is, that 'Jesus is the 
Christ.' This is the bond of union among Christians — 
the essence — the spirit of all revelation. All the Scriptures 
testify and confirm this simple truth, that 'he that be- 
lieveth that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God.' i 
John 5: 2. For he who believeth it sets to his seal that 
God is true. Such a one, John says, loveth God, and Christ, 
and the brethren ; keepeth his commands, and is purified 
from all his sins, and overcometh the world, and shall be 
saved. Christ declared, when departing into heaven, that 
he that believeth not shall be damned. The grand truth, 
then, being that 'Jesus is the Christ,' let us attend to 
those Scriptures which are written for the express purpose 
of establishing this proposition. These are the writings 
of the four evangelists, which at once show us in what man- 
ner God would have us to learn this truth ; in what manner 
the Lord Jesus taught it ; how the Holy Spirit has been 
pleased to present it to mankind ; how the apostles wrote 
of it, and, of course, taught it to the world. This is the 
beginning of the plan authorized of heaven, and every 
teacher of the Christian religion should commence by un- 
folding to his hearers the matter of the four evangelists. 
'These things,' says John, 'are written that ye might be- 
lieve that Jesus is the Christ ; and that believing, ye might 
have life through his name. ' 



*j6 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

" Now, what definition soever the Holy Scripture has 
given of one evangelist, that is the definition of them all, 
for each of them contains a history of that marvelous evi- 
dence by which Jesus proved that he was the Christ : by 
which his pretensions to the Messiahship were so amply 
confirmed among the Jews. The perfection of Christian 
intelligence is a knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, and no 
Christian is intelligent but as he knows the Scriptures. 
The desideratum, then, is a plan for teaching them to the 
people. By commencing with the four evangelists, and 
abiding by them until they are relished and understood, 
we learn, chief of all things, that Jesus is the Christ ; and 
while the number, magnitude, variety, sublimity, and be- 
nignity of his miracles delight, astonish, and instruct us, 
they, at the same time, carry irresistible conviction to the 
heart, purge it, elevate it, and fix our faith in the mighty 
power of God. By and by, as we become familiarized to 
the miraculous evidence, we become reconciled and even 
strongly attached to it, losing all suspicion of its reality, 
and, of course, of the reality of our holy religion ; because 
we come to perceive that these things were not done in a 
corner, but in public, and under the inspection of men 
who were both able and forward to decide upon their truth 
and certainty ; men who, in point of intellect, reason, and 
character, might have vied with the choicest of our mod- 
ern skeptics j men, in short, whose abilities to detect were 
equaled only by their readiness to pervert. 

" In the writings of the evangelists we behold that power 
which created man and all things exerting itself with all 
possible unaffected pomp and majesty; tempering, untir- 
ing, and clothing itself with all goodness and philanthropy ; 
and so entirely at the will of the Holy One, that it ac- 
companies those who accompany him. It sparkles, it 
flashes, it shines, it heals, it renovates, it creates, it con- 
trols, it rests, it leaps, it flies, it kindly raises up the bowed 



ESSA YS IN CHRISTIAN BAPTIST. TJ 

down, or hushes into silence the swelling and reluctant 
storm ; it flies forth with the breath of his mouth ; it op- 
erates at the tuft of his mantle, at the tip of his finger, or 
at the distance of a hundred leagues ; now it is in the air 
with a voice like thunder ; it shakes open the nodding 
tombs, or it rends the crashing mountains around Jerusa- 
lem ; always marvelous, it is always harmless, and mostly 
benevolent. True, there is nothing conciliating ; apart 
from goodness, we always choose to inspect it at a distance; 
but if joined with malevolence we fly from it with horror 
and affright. Power is formidable and even terrifying in 
the tiger, because in him it is a mere instrument of cruelty; 
but the same power becomes amiable in the horse, because 
all the thunder of his neck, all the glory of his nostrils, the 
strength of his limbs, and the fierceness of his attitude, are 
continually held in check by that beautiful docility which 
so eminently characterizes this noble animal, and by which 
his very will is identified with that of his rider. In the 
evangelists we behold the everlasting, the unexpended 
power itself, revealed in the form of a servant, and with 
more than a servant's humility, the strength of the Lion 
of the tribe of Judah, and the harmlessness of the Lamb 
dwelling together in the same one." 

"The ultimate design of these papers on Christianity is 
to exhibit a plan of preaching Christ to mankind, having 
for its authority the example of the Father, the Son, and 
the Holy Spirit, together with that of the apostles and 
others, who in the beginning were commissioned to prom- 
ulgate the new doctrine. The design, indeed, may at first 
sight "seem as adventurous as it is novel ; but what of that ? 
Christian pastors are not to be startled at the apparent pre- 
sumption or novelty of my attempt. Their principal con- 
cern must be about the reality of what I propose. Is there 
one way, and only one, of preaching Christ to sinners, 



7 8 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

and is that one way supported by the above authorities ? 
I answer in the affirmative, there is but one authorized way 
of making Christ known to men, in order that they may 
believe and be saved ; and now it is my business to show, 
by Scripture, that this is the case. The reader will remem- 
ber that it has been shown, in a former paper, that Jesus 
having died for sin and arisen again to introduce the hope 
of immortality, the great fact to be believed, in order to be 
saved, is that he is the Son of God ; and this being a mat- 
ter-of-fact question, the belief of it as necessarily depends 
upon the evidence by which it is accompanied as the be- 
lief of any other fact depends upon its particular evidence. 
No one thinks of accrediting a mere assertion. Our 
blessed Savior scrupled not to tell those among whom he 
alleged his divine authority, that if he alone said ' he was 
the Messiah,' his testimony was not to be regarded, and 
then reminded them of the testimony given by John the 
Baptist, whom they held to be a prophet ; the testimony 
of the Father, too, and of the Holy Spirit, and of the 
Scriptures ; and we shall see by and by that to preach the 
gospel is just to propose this glorious truth to sinners, and 
support it by its proper evidence. We shall see that the 
heavens and the apostles proposed nothing more in order 
to convert men from the error of their ways and to reduce 
them to the love and obedience of Christ. 

"I am not ignorant that there are thousands who sup- 
pose that there is something else far more necessary than 
this. They are ready to say that every body believes Jesus 
to be the Son of God, and to have been put to death for 
sin. To this it may be proper to reply, that not a single 
soul who attends the popular preachers has ever been con- 
vinced of this fact, that 'Jesus is the Savior,' by its proper 
evidence. Clergymen do not preach the gospel with its 
proper evidences. They proceed in their annual round of 
sermonizing on this capital mistake : that the audience have 



ESS A YS IN CHRISTIAN BAPTIST. 79 

believed Jesus to be the Savior ; so that their very best ha- 
rangues, generally denominated gospel sermons, seldom de- 
serve a better name than rants about the everlasting fire 
that shall consume the despisers of the offered salvation. 
But every body who has read the New Testament must have 
observed that the Scriptures never propose the rewards and 
punishments which are appended to the belief and rejec- 
tion of the gospel as a proof of its truth ; and every one 
who knows how the apostles preached the gospel must 
know also that they never did so ; that they never produced 
the sanctions of everlasting burning in order to secure the 
faith and obedience of their hearers. If, indeed, their 
hearers were sometimes refractory, and would even dare to 
despise the gospel when set before them with its proper 
evidences, the gifts, the miracles, and the prophecies, then, 
indeed, the apostles made known the terrors of the Lord, 
not the terrors of the law. Then, indeed, they made it 
known that the Lord should be revealed from heaven to 
take vengeance by fire on them that obeyed not God — i. e., 
believed not the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ ; but this 
was not to prove that Jesus had been put to death for sin, 
and was the Son of God, but only to warn those who 
might be disposed to despise or neglect that splendid evi- 
dence of gifts, miracles, etc., which proved their gospel to 
be true, which proved Jesus to have been crucified for 
sin, and to be the Son of God. In short, the apostles 
proceeded thus : they first proposed the truth to be be- 
lieved ; and, secondly, they produced the evidences neces- 
sary to warrant belief; and, thirdly, if any seemed to de- 
spise the gospel, or resist the Holy Spirit — i. e., the evidence 
afforded by the Holy Spirit in gifts, miracles, and prophecy — 
then they warned these despisers of the consequences, and 
thus freed themselves from the blood of all men." 

Such essays as these, from which we have quoted, 
and the powerful articles from the pen of the editor 



80 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

in each number, soon created a profound sensation. 
In many of the communities in which "The Chris- - 
tian Baptist " circulated the foundations of religious 
belief were carefully and earnestly re-examined; and 
the result was that many of its readers, to whom re- 
ligion, as popularly taught, was a mysterious and 
altogether unintelligible affair, now saw in it, as set 
forth in the Scriptures, a beautiful harmony and sim- 
plicity, and began to spread among their neighbors 
the light which they had received ; and being of ne- 
cessity placed on the defensive, they were obliged to 
maintain by an appeal to Scripture the views they 
had espoused. In some instances entire churches 
with their pastors were led to lay aside their creeds 
and much of their theology and to accept the Word 
of God as their only guide. The publication of this 
remarkable sheet continued for seven years with in- 
creased interest and a largely augmented list of sub- 
scribers, and only ceased to give place to a larger and 
more widely-circulated monthly called " The Millennial 
Harbinger." During the existence of "The Christian 
Baptist " Mr. Scott was a frequent contributor to its 
pages, and his numerous articles under the signature 
of "Philip" gained him a reputation scarcely inferior 
to that of the editor — A. Campbell himself. 

Up to this time nearly all the efforts made by these 
advocates of reform were confined to the correcting 
of evils and abuses in the church, and comparatively 
little was done for the conversion of sinners ; and the 
result, of course, was, that while many were led to 
adopt the views set forth with zeal and vigor, there 
was but little growth in the churches as far as num- 
bers were concerned. They had not, as yet, clearly 



THE GOSPEL AGGRESSIVE. 8 1 

perceived the distinction between the original order 
'of the church and the original gospel, and were so 
occupied with an attempt to reform the church and 
unite the various conflicting parties, that they did not 
at first perceive that there was an equal necessity for 
urging the original plea, as made by the apostles in 
their addresses to the world. The reformation thus 
far was ecclesiastical, but the aggressive element of 
the gospel was wanting ; the few that united with 
them from the world had, as it were, to take the king- 
dom of heaven by violence ; but the necessity of going 
before the world with the gospel message of entreaty 
and invitation soon became apparent to the mind of 
Scott, who, as we shortly shall see, soon began to 
realize what was needed in this respect, and began to 
invite and compel men to come to the gospel feast. 



82 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



CHAPTER V. 

Removal to Steubenville — Visits the Mahoning Baptist Association — Mr. 
Scott chosen as Evangelist — His field of labor — Religious expe- 
riences — The three brothers. 

MR. SCOTT remained in Pittsburg teaching his 
academy and instructing the church until 
sometime in 1826, when he removed to Steubenville, 
Ohio. It was in the summer of this year also that 
he made his first appearance at the Mahoning Bap- 
tist Association, within the bounds of which he after- 
wards became so famous. The association met on 
the 25th of August. Mr. Scott was not a member 
of this body, but is mentioned in the Minutes simply 
as a teaching brother, but was by courtesy invited to 
partake in its deliberations ; and probably from the 
fact of ]}is being a stranger was, by a similar act of 
courtesy, invited to preach on Sunday, at 10 o'clock 
A. M., the hour usually occupied by the best talent. 
His sermon, based on the nth chapter of Matthew, 
was a powerful one and made a deep impression. A. 
S. Hayden, then quite a youth, was present, and saw 
and heard Scott for the first time. He says that his 
fancy, imagination, eloquence, neatness, and finish as 
a preacher and a man attracted his attention, and 
fixed him forever on his memory. Alexander Camp- 
bell, whose reputation was already great, was present, 
and many who had been attracted to the meeting by 
his fame supposed that they were hearing him while 



== 



ATTENDS THE ASSOCIATION. 



83 



listening to Scott, and when he closed left the place 
under that impression. The Association met the 
next year, 1827, at New Lisbon, Columbiana County, 
Ohio. Alexander Campbell had been appointed by 
the church of which he was a member, at Wells- 
burgh, Va., to attend as its messenger, and on his 
way he stopped at Steubenville and invited Mr. Scott 
to go with him. He was somewhat disinclined to do 
so, as he was not a member of the body, or of any 
church represented in it ; but being urged, he went. 
This seemingly unimportant event proved to be one 
of the most important steps of his life, as the sequel 
will show ; and as it is doubtful whether there is in 
existence a single printed copy of the Minutes of that 
meeting, the entire proceedings are presented below, 
which form a very important and valuable portion of 
the history of the times : 

Minutes of the Mahoning Baptist Association. 

Convened at JVezu Lisbon, Ohio, August 23, 1827. 

i. Assembled at 1 o'clock P. M. for public worship, 
when Bro. A. Bentley discoursed from John xviii: 37. 

2. Read the letters from the following churches, and 
took an account of their numbers : 



CHURCHES. 



Warren 

New Lisbon.... \ 

I 
Mantua and 
Hiram 

Palmyra 



MESSENGERS NAMES. 



Adamson Bentley. 

Jacob Smith 

Jacob Drake 

Joab Gaskel 

John Campbell..... 

Henry Beck 

Darwin Atwater.... 

Zeb. Rudolph 

John Rudolph, Jr. 

Stephen Wood 

Noah Davis 

William Bacon 



> 

pi 

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v. a 


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a 2" 

S 

7- a 

'. C 




g 


pi 


a 3 


S 
pi 


3 

9 

... 


J 




4 
2 

1 


4 

1 

3 


2 



72 

41 
26 

49 



8 4 



LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



1 
CHURCHES. 


messengers' names. 


> 
fl 

£". o 
a. a 

E " 
. cr 
• x 

I 

5 

i 

i 

ii 

3 

34 


—. p< 

2 - 

7- 3 

: c 
. m 

3 

5 
4 

13 


o 
1. 
P 1 

I 

2 

I 

3 
14 


a 

° a 

% o 
a s 

P-g 
; 3 

2 
2 

I 

13 


g 

5" 
p. 

I 

I 

4 


o 

E 


Hubbard \ 


Walter Clark 


37 


\ 




Yellow Creek... < 
Wellsburgh j 




36 

3° 
70 


Alexander Campbell... 


28 
56 


David Gaskill 


Hartford 


Aaron Hise t 

No intelligence. 

No intelligence. 

No intelligence. 

Total 


34 


Youngstown.... | 


13 

492 



3. Bro. Jacob Osborn was chosen Moderator, and Bro. 
John Rudolph, Jr., Clerk. 

4. The following teaching brethren being present were 
invited to a seat in the council : Walter Scott, Samuel 
Holmes, William West, and Sidney Rigdon. 

5. Brethren A. Campbell, D. Gaskill, and A. Bentley 
were appointed a committee to arrange business for to- 
morrow. Adjourned till to-morrow morning, 9 o'clock. 

Bro. Sidney Rigdon delivered a discourse in the evening 
on John, 8th chapter. 

6. Met pursuant to adjournment; opened by praise and 
prayer. 

7. Voted to take up the request from the Braceville 
church, which is as follows : " We wish that this Associa- 
tion may take into serious consideration the peculiar situa- 



MINUTES OF THE ASSOCIATION. 85 

tion of the churches of this Association ; and if it could 
be a possible thing for an evangelical preacher to be em- 
ployed to travel and teach among the churches, we think 
that a blessing would follow." 

8. Voted that a. person be appointed for the above 
purpose. 

9. Invited Bros. J. Merrill, J. Secrest, and Joseph Gas- 
ton to a seat with us. 

10. Voted that. all the teachers of Christianity present 
be a committee to nominate a person to travel and labor 
among the churches, and to suggest a plan for the support 
of the person so appointed. 

11. That Bro. A. Campbell write the corresponding 
letter for this year. 

12. That a collection of $6.91 be paid over to Bro. A. 
Campbell, for the printing and distribution of the Minutes 
of the Association. 

13. That Bro. William West be continued Correspond- 
ing Secretary, and Bro. John Rudolph Recording Secre- 
tary, and Bro. Joab Gaskel Treasurer. 

14.. That our next Association be held at Warren, Trum- 
bull County, Ohio, on Friday preceding the last Lord's 
day in August; public worship to commence at 1 o'clock 
p. M. 

15. That a circular letter be written on the subject of 
itinerant preaching for the next Association by Bro. A. 
Campbell. 

16. That Bro. A. Campbell deliver the introductory dis- 
course for next year, and in case of failure Bro. Jacob 
Osborne. 

17. The committee to which was referred the nomina- 
tion of a person to labor among the churches, and to rec- 
ommend a plan for his support, reported as follows : " 1st. 
That Bro. Walter Scott is a suitable person for the task, 
and that he is willing, provided the Association concur 



86 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

in his appointment, to devote his whole energies to the 
work. 2d. That voluntary and liberal contributions be 
recommended to the churches for creating a fund for his 
support. 3d. That at the discretion of Bro. Scott, as far as 
respects time and place, four quarterly- meetings for public 
worship and edification, be held in the bounds of this Asso- 
ciation this year, and that at all those meetings such contri- 
butions as have been made in the churches in those vicin- 
ities be passed over to Bro. Scott, and an account of the 
same to be produced at the next Association ; also that at 
any time and in any church, when and where Bro. Scott 
may be laboring, any contributions made to him shall be 
accounted for to the next Association." 

18. Voted that the above report, in all its items, be 
adopted. Bro. Secrest delivered a discourse in the evening 
from John's testimony, 3d chapter. Met on Lord's day, at 
sunrise in the Baptist meeting-house, for prayer and praise, 
and continued till 8 o'clock. Met again in the Presbyterian 
meeting-house, Lisbon, where, after public worship, Bro. 
Jacob Osborne delivered a discourse on Hebrews, 1st chap. 
He was followed by Bro. A. Campbell, who delivered a 
discourse on Good Works, predicated upon the last para- 
graph of the Sermon on the Mount and the conclusion of 
Matthew, 25th chapter. A collection of #11.75 was then 
lifted for the purposes specified in the report of the Com- 
mittee. After a recess of a few minutes and the immer- 
sion of some disciples in the creek, the brethren met at 
the Baptist meeting-house and broke bread, after which 
they dispersed, much comforted and edified by the exer- 
cises of the day. 

Jacob Osborn, Moderator. 

John Rudolph, Jun., Clerk. 

John Rudolph, 

Clerk for the Association. 



CHOSEN AS EVANGELIST. 87 

In regard to the proceedings of the Association, as 
given above, it will be observed that Mr. Scott was 
again invited to a seat. This might have been ex- 
pected ; but is it not very remarkable that when a com- 
mittee was appointed composed of preachers who were 
members of the Association, and also of those who 
were not, to choose an evangelist to travel among the 
churches, that one should be selected who was not a 
member of the body, and who neither agreed in his 
religious views with many of those who selected him 
for so important a task, nor took any pains to conceal 
this difference ? Nor could the choice have been 
made on the ground of peculiar fitness in consequence 
of great success in the evangelical field, or greatness 
of reputation ; it was not a matter of necessity — a 
choice of a giant from among pigmies. Bentley was 
known and esteemed throughout the entire Associa- 
tion ; Campbell's great and admirable talents were well 
known and acknowledged ; Rigdon had the reputa- 
tion of an orator ; Jacob Osborn gave high promise 
of future usefulness ; Secrest and Gaston were popu- 
lar and successful evangelists ; and yet by the voices 
of all these, and others of less note, Walter Scott was 
unanimously chosen for the most important work that 
the Association had ever taken in hand. 

He proved to be, however, as we shall see, the man 
of all others for the place and the work — a work which 
neither he nor they who called him to it had the re- 
motest idea that it would result, as it did, in the disso- 
lution of the Association and the casting away of 
creeds and the unexampled spread of clearer and 
purer view of the gospel — nay, a return to it in its 
primitive beauty and simplicity. 



88 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

Having now before us the man and his work, this 
seems a fitting place to introduce a notice of the 
field in which he was providentially called to labor — 
namely, the bounds of the Mahoning Association. 
This body was formed at Nelson, Portage County, 
Ohio, on the 30th of August, 1820, arid was composed 
of some ten Baptist churches. Its belief was set 
forth in ten articles of faith, in which a belief in the 
Trinity, eternal and personal election to holiness, 
total depravity, particular redemption, and the irre- 
sistible power of the Holy Spirit in conversion was 
insisted on. Each church in the body had its own 
articles of faith, some of them equaling in number 
those of the Association, others with as many as 
eighteen or nineteen articles, and still others with but 
eight or nine. In several of these church creeds, 
which all affirmed the doctrine of the Association, 
there were to be found additional articles ; as, for in- 
stance, the following: "We believe in the laying on 
of hands on baptized believers to be • an apostolic 
practice, and as such we observe it ;" and some, in 
addition to the articles common to all the rest, had 
one which read thus : " In short, we receive a book 
called the Baptist Confession of Faith, adopted by the 
Philadelphia Association, Sept. 25.th, 1742, as gener- 
ally expressive of our views of the great doctrines of 
revealed religion." One church says of the same 
Confession of Faith : " We agree to adopt it ;" and 
another, after enumerating various points of doctrine, 
concludes by saying : " For further particulars we 
refer to the Baptist Confession of Faith." 

The number of churches in the Association at first 
was ten, which was afterwards increased to about 



RELIGIOUS APATHY. 89 

double that number, seventeen appearing on the list at 
the meeting at New Lisbon in 1827. These churches 
were mainly in that portion of Eastern Ohio lying 
adjacent to Pennsylvania and between the Ohio River 
and Lake Erie, called the Western Reserve, which 
was mainly peopled by settlers from the New England 
States. One of the churches was in Virginia — that 
of Wellsburgh. 

The name of Adamson Bentley, who was the lead- 
ing man in the Association, appears in the Minutes 
of every meeting from its formation to its close ; that 
of Alexander Campbell does not appear until 1825. 
Walter Scott's name appears in the Minutes for 1826 
and 1827 simply as a teaching brother. Although 
there were within the bounds of the Association 
some pious and devoted men, such as Bentley, Os- 
borne, the Haydens, and others ; still, in consequence 
of their creeds, by which they were cramped and 
confined, and the chilling influence of the ultra Cal- 
vinistic views then prevalent, religion was at an ex- 
tremely low ebb. The monthly meetings had become 
cold and formal gatherings, the reading of church 
constitution, covenant, and articles of faith — for some 
had all these — had, 'in a measure, usurped the place 
of reading the Scriptures, of prayer and praise. 
There was but little growth in true piety, little enjoy- 
ment, and but few conversions. At the Association 
in 1827 fifteen churches reported only thirty-four bap- 
tisms, and of these eleven were at Wellsburgh, from 
which church A. Campbell was the delegate. The 
report of the previous year was still worse, only 
eighteen baptisms within the bounds of seventeen 



8 



90 LIFE OF ELDER'WALTER SCOTT. 

churches, while the exclusions and deaths for the 
same period were twenty-three. 

In 1825 seventeen churches reported but sixteen 
baptisms. The greatest number reported in any one 
year was one hundred and three, from ten churches, 
of which fifty-six, or more than one-half of the entire 
number, was at Warren, under the labors of Elder 
A. Bentley, whose love for dying men made him 
often overstep the narrow limits of his creed. 

Great stress was in those days placed upon what 
was called a religious experience — more reliance, in- 
deed, upon the feelings and mental exercises of the 
penitent than upon a change of conduct and obedience 
to the plain teachings of the Word of God ; indeed, it 
was by no means uncommon to hear the Word of God 
spoken of as powerless and inefficient ; but any un- 
usual agitation of the feelings was regarded as the 
direct influence of the Holy Spirit upon the sinner's 
heart. Dreams and visions of a grand or gloomy 
nature were thought to indicate the anger or favor 
of God, and. to persons of warm and lively imagina- 
tions these were seldom wanting ; and those who 
could relate the most wonderful stories in regard to 
the soul's enjoyments or conflicts were regarded as 
favorites of heaven, while the equally earnest and sin- 
cere, yet more sober-minded, were thought to be in a 
far less hopeful condition. 

Were we to regard as true many of the religious 
experiences of those times we should have frequently 
to admit the appearance of Christ to earnest seekers, 
speaking to them words of comfort and blessing, as 
when he was here in the flesh, or be horrified by 
their encounters and conflicts with the Prince of 



RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES. 9 1 

Darkness, which, however, generally ended in his de- 
feat and flight. Much of this, doubtless, is to be at- 
tributed to the fact that John Bunyan was more read 
by a certain class than John the Evangelist, and was 
by many Baptists regarded as a kind of patron saint ; 
and the nearer their experiences resembled those of 
the "Wonderful Dreamer" the safer did they feel, 
and the sounder were they in the faith. 

A few of the visions and experiences of the famous 
author of the " Pilgrim's Progress " will show where 
the type of much of the supernatural in the religion 
of these times is to be found. Once he dreamed he 
saw the face of the heavens, as it were, all on fire, the 
firmament crackling and shivering as with the noise 
of mighty thunders, and an archangel flew in the 
midst of heaven sounding a trumpet, and a glorious 
throne was seated in the east, whereon sat one in 
brightness like the morning-star ; upon which he, 
thinking it was the end of the world, fell upon his 
knees, and, with uplifted hands toward heaven, cried : 
" O Lord God, have mercy upon me ! what shall I do ? 
the day of judgment is come, and I am not prepared !" 
when immediately he heard a voice behind him ex- 
ceeding loud, saying, " Repent !" and upon this he 
awoke, and found it but a dream. At another time 
he dreamed that he was in a pleasant place, jovial 
and rioting, banqueting and feasting his senses, when 
immediately a mighty earthquake rent the earth, and 
made a wide gap, out of which came bloody flames, 
and the figures of men tossed up in globes of fire, 
and falling down again with horrible cries, shrieks, 
and execrations, while some devils that were with 
them laughed aloud at their torment ; and while he 



92 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

stood trembling at this sight, he thought the earth 
sunk under him, and a circle of flame inclosed him ; 
but when he fancied he was just at the point to per- 
ish, one in white shining raiment descended and 
plucked him out of that dreadful place, while devils 
cried after him to leave him with them to take the 
just punishment his sins had deserved, yet he escaped 
the danger, and leaped for joy, when he awoke and 
found it but a dream. Again, when playing ball on 
the Sabbath, a voice suddenly came from heaven into 
his soul, which said, " Wilt thou leave thy sins and 
go to heaven, or have thy sins and go to hell?" 
Greatly amazed, he says : " I looked up to heaven 
and was as if I had with the eyes of my understand- 
ing seen the Lord Jesus looking down upon me, as 
being very hotly displeased with me, and as if he 
did severely threaten me with some grievous punish- 
ment for my ungodly practices." 

At one time he would regard himself as having 
committed a similar sin to that of Peter when he de- 
nied his Lord, and at another time his sin was no less 
than that of Judas. He saw Christ on the cross, and 
his soul was in an agony of sorrow and love at the 
sight. He met Satan both as a roaring lion and an 
angel of light, but sent him howling away or eluded 
the snares he had set for his soul. These and a 
thousand other kindred instances had much to do 
with shaping the religious sentiment of the days of 
which we write, and those who were not under the 
influence of them, to a greater or less degree, were 
fewer far than those who were. Men even of educa- 
tion and more than ordinary natural ability were 
known, after seeking the path to God by reading the 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 93 

record he had given to men, to ask in prayer a sign 
or token of their acceptance ; and many, feeling that 
God had denied to them what he seemed to have 
granted so lavishly to others, gave up the search in 
hopeless despair. One of the most common and at 
the same time one of the most hopeful experiences 
was a conviction of sin so deep and pungent that the 
penitent was willing to suffer the pains of eternal 
death for the glory of God. It was comparatively 
easy for the sinner to believe' and say that he de- 
served eternal damnation, but only the grace of God, 
it was thought, was able to render him willing that 
such a fate should be his, that God might be glorified. 
As illustrative of these times we might mention 
the case of three brothers, two of whom still survive. 
They were all religiously disposed, and all brought 
up under the severe Calvinistic teaching then so 
common among the Baptists. One of them for years 
was desirous of the favor of God, but for years sought 
it in vain, and was consoled by being told that he 
must wait for God's good time and way ; all the time 
of his waiting the difficulty was not on his part ; he 
was willing and anxious to be saved, but, according to 
the doctrine, the Lord was not. It was a long season 
of doubt, of darkness, and only after years had passed 
was he able, after a long struggle and earnest prayer, 
to draw some comfort from the words of Scripture : 
"As thy days, so shall thy strength be." The other 
brother seemed signally favored ; he saw signs in the 
heavens and heard voices which he could not doubt 
were celestial ; at one time he saw a coffin passing 
through the air, and heard at the same time a voice 
of solemn warning. An unusually violent thunder- 



94 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

storm he deemed was sent as a special warning ; and 
while his elder brother could scarcely, after years of 
seeking, find a ground of hope, he had many and 
wonderful proofs of the interest felt in his salvation, 
in the sights and sounds to which we have referred. 
The other brother was a calm, meditative man ; 
heaven did not seem averse to his desires, as in the 
case of one of his brothers, nor was he favored with 
the sights and sounds which alarmed or assured the 
other. He carefully read the Scriptures and thought 
upon the mercies of God : this awoke gratitude in his 
heart, and he felt that the goodness of God should 
lead him to repentance, and by such motives was led 
to dedicate himself to the service of God. The won- 
derful experience, however, was generally regarded as 
the best, and sights that were never seen and voices 
that were never heard, which had no existence save 
in the imagination of the individual, were stronger 
proofs of the divine favor than a life and walk in ac- 
cordance with the Word of God. 

The preachers taught human inability, and the 
people generally gave full illustrations of their belief 
of the doctrine. "Wait and not work" seemed to be 
the favorite motto, and thousands under this delusion 
waited, alas, too long. There was, however, a vague 
impression that something was wrong, and a desire 
to find out that wrong and its remedy ; and it was 
this feeling, doubtless, which led to the desire to 
have an evangelist in the field, which resulted in the 
unexpected selection of Walter Scott for the work, 
for which his success proved him to be eminently 
qualified. 



FAVORABLE OMENS. 95 



CHAPTER VI. 

Favorable omens — Articles of Faith of the New Lisbon church — Scott 
begins his work — Preaches at New Lisbon — The Gospel offer ac- 
cepted — Baptism for the remission of sins restored. 

IN view of the state of things set forth in the pre- 
ceding chapter, the field of labor for the newly- 
chosen evangelist was rather an unpromising one ; 
but it must be remembered that he himself had for 
years been perplexed by the doctrinal difficulties 
prevailing among the people to whom he was sent, 
and therefore the better prepared to show the evils 
of a partisan theology, and to point out a more ex- 
cellent way. Here and there, however, in the various 
churches of the Association, were to be found indi- 
viduals dissatisfied with the popular orthodoxy of the 
times, who needed only a leader in order to throw off 
the yoke of human creeds and to unite upon the one 
foundation on which the followers of Christ first 
stood. These were mainly the readers of the " Chris- 
tian Baptist," by whose bold and startling articles a 
spirit of deep and earnest inquiry had been, aroused. 
They were, though few in number, the thinkers, the 
earnest and honest-hearted of the various commu- 
nities in which they were found, and their views, like 
leaven, were slowly and silently making their way. 
Indications of this appeared as early as the year 
1823. In that year the church at Hubbard sent to 



q6 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

the Association the following question : " Is it the 
opinion of this Association that any church has the 
privilege, according to Scripture, of holding com- 
munion without an ordained elder, or to administer 
other gospel ordinances ?" This was answered in 
the negative. In the same year the following was 
submitted by the Nelson church : " Is it an apostolic 
practice for churches to have confessions of faith, 
constitutions, or any thing of the like nature, except 
the Scriptures ?' This was a blow aimed at the 
practice of every church in the Association. To 
answer the question in the affirmative would have 
made it necessary to prove what did not admit of 
proof; to have given a negative answer would have 
condemned what was universally practiced. Action 
upon it was, therefore, postponed until the next 
year, and even then it was deemed most politic to 
pass it by in silence. In 1824 the Nelson church 
had two more questions to propose for the consider- 
ation of the Association. They were: 1. "Will this 
Association hold in its connection a church which 
acknowledges no other rule of faith and practice than 
the Scriptures ?" 2. " In what manner were mem- 
bers received into the churches that were set in order 
by the apostles ?" Plain as these questions were, it 
was deemed best to postpone the answers until the 
next year, at which time the following replies were 
made. To the first: "Yes; on satisfactory evidence 
that they walk according to this rule." To the sec- 
ond : " Those who believed and were baptized were 
added to the church." These answers were condem- 
natory of the almost universal practice of the Baptist 
Churches at that time, as they did not recognize any 



THE LEA VEX WORKING. 97 

church unless it had articles of faith corresponding to 
their own ; and such was the universal demand for an 
"experience," that persons who had been baptized on 
a simple profession of faith in the Lord Jesus were 
denied membership with them. 

In the same year, from the New Lisbon church 
came the query : " Is it scriptural to license a brother 
to administer the Word and not the ordinances?" to 
which the answer was : " We have jio such custom 
taught in the Scriptures." Also the following from 
the Nelson church : " CanAssociations, in their pres- 
ent modifications, find their model in the New Testa- 
ment ?" to which the answer was : " Not exactly." 

In 1825 the Youngstown church sent up to the 
Association the following : " Was the practice of the 
primitive church an exact pattern to succeeding ages ; 
and is every practice to be receded from which was 
not the practice of the primitive saints in their pe- 
culiar circumstances ?" The reply was : " It is the 
duty and privilege of every Christian church to aim 
at an exact conformity to the example of the churches 
set in order by the apostles, and to endeavor to imi- 
tate them in all things imitable by them." 

From the occurrences just related it will be per- 
ceived that light was increasing, and the questions 
from the Nelson church especially indicate that there 
were within it the elements of reform ; and that those 
who held the sentiments set forth in the queries no- 
ticed were desirous of throwing off the creed which 
they regarded as a yoke of bondage. But of all the 
churches in the Association, that at Hiram, Portage 
County, had taken the most advanced ground. This 
congregation at one time had its church covenant, 
9 



98 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

church articles, church constitution, and in addi- 
tion to these held to the Philadelphia Confession of 
Faith ; and it was not unusual to have all the three 
former read at a single church meeting. Of this 
dreary repetition the church clerk grew weary, and 
thought that the time could be better' employed in 
reading the Scriptures. In this view several others 
shared ; the matter was canvassed in nearly every 
family, and at length, at their monthly meeting, in 
August, 1824, it was proposed to renounce all — cov- 
enant, articles, constitution, and the Philadelphia 
Confession — and take the Word of God as the only 
rule of faith and practice. A few objected, on the 
ground that without their articles and church cove- 
nant they would be like a barrel without hoops, with 
nothing to keep them together, as without them 
they could neither receive nor exclude members. 
Two recent occurrences, however, favored those who 
advocated the rejection of the offensive documents in 
a practical way. A short time before, two members 
had been received without the laying on of hands 
after baptism, which had previously been regarded 
by some as much a gospel ordinance as baptism or 
the Lord's Supper ; this was done in consequence of 
their minister, Rufus Freeman, refusing to lay hands 
on the converts, as he did not regard it as enjoined 
by the Scriptures ; and so the articles of faith which 
made it necessary had the effect of making trouble 
instead of keeping it away. A refractory member 
had also been brought up for trial, but as the offense 
was one not specified in the church articles, and she 
beyond all question guilty and yet unwilling to con- 
fess her fault, she was excluded on scriptural ground. 



CREEDS REJECTED. 99 

An aged German brother, highly esteemed for his 
godly life, but who had never spoken in a church 
meeting before, arose, and after alluding to the above 
case, said : " Brethren, that trial was conducted with- 
out the use of the church articles ; we have found 
that we can exclude disorderly members without 
them ; if the Bible is a good rule by which to exclude 
evil-doers, it ought to be a good rule for right-doers to 
live by. I think we can do without the articles." 

The longer the discussion continued the stronger 
grew the party which stood up for the Bible alone, 
and when the motion was put that all their church 
rules and standards save the Bible alone should be 
renounced, all save three voted in its favor. One of 
the three, a lady, rose and said she had not voted on 
the motion from the fact that she had never accepted 
the documents which had been rejected, and for that 
reason could not renounce them ; another gave a sim- 
ilar reason, leaving only, one in the opposition. But 
this was a rare case in those days ; most of the 
churches stood by the creed, articles, and covenant, 
and their opposers were generally regarded as troub- 
lers of Israel. 

As the articles of faith so often referred to ex- 
pressed the views entertained at that time, and were 
given up with reluctance after a severe struggle, those 
held by the church at New Lisbon are given below, as 
generally expressive of the sentiments of the churches 
in the Mahoning Association: 

Articles of Faith held by the Baptist church at New 

Lisbon. Constituted May 31, 1806: 

Article I. We believe in one God, the Creator of all 
the worlds, the only living and true God ; a being of in- 



IOO LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

finite perfections, whose essence can net be comprehended 
by any but himself; a most pure Spirit, invisible, without 
body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwell- 
ing in the light which no man can approach unto, who is 
infinite in all his perfections, and most holy in and of 
himself. 

II. We believe that in this being of infinite perfections 
there are three subsistences or persons, the Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity ; 
each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence or 
nature undivided. The Father is of none neither begotten 
nor proceeding. The Son is eternally begotten of the 
Father. The Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and 
Son, all infinite and without beginning, therefore but one 
God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but 
distinguished by several particular relative properties and 
personal relations ; which doctrine of the Trinity is the 
foundation of all our communion with God and comfort- 
able dependence on him. # 

III. We believe the Old and New Testaments to be the 
Word of God, and the only infallible rule of faith and 
practice in religious things. 

IV. We believe in the eternal and particular election of 
men and angels to eternal glory. 

V. We believe man to be a fallen creature and in a fallen 
state, and in his present state he is not able in and of him- 
self to recover himself to a state of happiness. 

VI. We believe in a particular redemption of a definite 
number of persons to eternal life by the death of Christ. 

VII. We believe in a free justification by the righteous- 
ness of Christ imputed, and efficacious grace in regenera- 
tion,' and the final perseverance of the saints in grace to 
the end. 

VIII. We believe in the resurrection of the dead, both 
of the righteous and ungodly, and the general judgment 



THE ARTICLES ABANDONED. 10 1 

to come, and that the saints shall forever enjoy the glory 
of heaven, and that the unrighteous shall be sent to eternal 
misery to remain forever without hope or deliverance. 

IX. We believe that baptism is an ordinance of the 
New Testament, and that believers are the only subjects of 
it, and that this ordinance ought to be administered by 
dipping the body all over in water. 

X. We believe that laying on of the hands (on baptized 
believers as such) is an ordinance of the gospel. 

XI. We believe that the Lord's Supper is an ordinance 
of the gospel church. 

Some of the churches had more and some fewer 
articles than the above, but these will serve as a fair 
specimen of what all the Baptist churches in that 
region regarded as a necessity ; §nd their fate was 
one which finally overtook them all. 

When the principles of the Reformation had been 
imbibed by some members of that congregation ; at 
one of their monthly meetings, after the reading of 
the articles,, one of the brethren asked that the third 
article be read again, which was done ; it reads as 
follows : " We believe the Old and New Testaments 
to be the Word of God, and the only infallible rule 
of faith and practice in religious things." He then 
asked : " Brethren, do we believe that article ?" "Cer- 
tainly, most certainly," was the reply from several. 
" What, then," he continued, " is the use of the rest 
if the article just read be true, and the Word of God 
is the only infallible rule of faith and practice ?" 
Another brother who saw the point, rose and moved 
that the articles of faith be abandoned ; some, how- 
ever, insisted that time for reflection was needed, and 
were in favor of delaying the vote until the next 



102 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

monthly meeting. The next meeting came, but the 
articles were not read as usual, nor was the matter 
called up then or ever after. 

From this somewhat long but necessary digression 
it will be seen that, while there were many things 
calculated to discourage the most sanguine, there 
were at the same time some hopeful indications ; the 
light was dawning, which soon brightened into a 
glorious day. 

But to return to the newly-appointed evangelist. 
No one, perhaps, was as much surprised at his ap- 
pointment as himself. He was at that time engaged 
in teaching an academy, and was making an arrange- 
ment to publish a new paper, to be called " The Mil- 
lennial Herald ;" he was preaching also for a small 
congregation in Steubenville : and wife and children 
demanded his care ; but the call to the new field of 
labor so unexpected and providential he regarded as 
imperative, and dropping the bitterest tears he ever 
shed over his infant household, and abandoning all 
his other employments and projects, he threw him- 
self heart and soul into the work before him. 

And now we come to the most eventful period in 
the life of Walter Scott. He had studied the Word 
of God long, earnestly, faithfully, and prayerfully. He 
had drunk into its spirit, and had become so fully 
convinced of the weakness and inefficiency of modern 
systems, so sick of sectarian bigotry and party strife, 
that he resolved to try the bold and novel experi- 
ment of preaching the gospel according to the New 
Testament model, as set forth in the labors of the 
holy men to whom Jesus had given the message of 
salvation to be heralded to a perishing world. He 



PREACHING THE PRIMITIVE GOSPEL. 103 

made his first efforts beyond the bounds of the As- 
sociation, and though a nobler purpose was never 
formed, the very novelty of his course almost created, 
in his own mind, a doubt of its propriety ; and the 
great issue at stake, and anxiety as to the result 
created at times misgivings and fears. To his hearers 
his preaching was like the proclamation of a new 
religion ; so different did it seem from the orthodoxy 
of the day, that they regarded the preacher as an 
amiable, but deluded, enthusiast, and he excited 
wonder, pity, and even scorn. His efforts, however, 
were not wholly fruitless ; with every discourse his 
own convictions became stronger, and he felt assured 
that he had found the true path ; and instead of 
yielding to discouragement under what seemed to be 
failures, he said to himself, this way is of God, and 
ought to succeed, and with his help it shall ; and his 
courage and zeal rose with the difficulties he encoun- 
tered until his labors were crowned with success. 

The scene of his first practical and successful ex- 
hibition of the gospel, as preached in primitive times, 
was at New Lisbon, Columbiana County, Ohio, the 
place at which he was appointed as traveling evange- 
list a few months before. The Baptist Church at that 
place had become acquainted with him at the As- 
sociation, and received with pleasure an appointment 
from him for a series of discourses on the ancient 
gospel; and the citizens were glad to have a visit 
from the eloquent stranger. On the first Sunday 
after his arrival every seat in the meeting-house was 
filled at an early hour ; soon every foot of standing 
room was occupied, and the doorway blocked up by 
an eager throng ; and, inspired by the interest which 



104 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

prevailed, the preacher began. His theme was the 
confession of Peter, Matt, xvi : 16 : "Thou art the 
Christ, the Son of the living God," and the promise 
which grew out of it, that he should have intrusted 
to him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The 
declaration of Peter was a theme upon which he had 
thought for years; it was a fact which he regarded 
the four gospels as written to establish ; to which 
type and prophecy had pointed in all the ages gone 
by ; which the Eternal Father had announced from 
heaven when Jesus came up from the waters of Jor- 
dan and the Spirit descended and abode upon him, 
and which was repeated again amid the awful gran- 
deur and solemnity of the transfiguration scene. He 
then proceeded to show that the foundation truth of 
Christianity was the divine nature of the Lord Jesus — 
the central truth around which all others -revolved, 
and from which they derived their efficacy and im- 
portance — and that the belief of it was calculated to 
produce such love in the heart of him who believed 
it as would lead him to true obedience to the object 
of his faith and love. To show how that faith and 
love were to be manifested, he quoted the language 
of the great commission, and called attention to the 
fact that Jesus had taught his apostles "that repent- 
ance and remission of sins should be preached in his 
name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." 
He then led his hearers to Jerusalem on the memora- 
ble Pentecost, and bade them listen to an authorita- 
tive announcement of the law of Christ, now to be 
made known for the first time, by the same Peter to 
whom Christ had promised to give the keys of the 
kingdom of heaven, which he represented as meaning 



THE BIBLE MEANS WHAT IT SA YS. 105 

the conditions upon which the guilty might .find par- 
don at the hands of the risen, ascended, and glorified 
Son of God, and enter his kingdom. 

After a rapid yet graphic review of Peter's discourse, 
he pointed out its effect on those that -heard him, and 
bade them mark the inquiry which a deep conviction 
of the truth they had heard forced from the lips of 
the heart-pierced multitudes, who, in their agony at 
the discovery that they had put to death the Son of 
God, their own long-expected Messiah, " cried out, 
Men and brethren, what shall we do ?" and then, with 
flashing eye and impassioned manner, as if he fully 
realized that he was but re-echoing the words of 
one who spake as the Spirit gave him utterance, 
he gave the reply, " Repent, and be baptized, every 
one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remis- 
sion of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy 
Spirit." He then, with great force and power, made 
his application ; he insisted that the conditions were 
unchanged, that the Word of God meant what it said, 
and that to receive and obey it was to obey God and 
to imitate the example of those who, under the preach- 
ing of the apostles, gladly accepted the gospel mes- 
sage. His discourse was long, but his hearers marked 
not the flight of time ; the Baptists forgot, in admi- 
ration of its scriptural beauty and simplicity, that it 
was contrary to much in their own teaching and prac- 
tice ; some of them who had been, in a measure, en- 
lightened before, rejoiced in the truth the moment 
they perceived it ; and to others, who had long been 
perplexed by the difficulties and contradictions of the 
discordant views of the day, it was like light to weary 
travelers long benighted and lost. 



106 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

The man of all others, however, in that community 
who would most have delighted in and gladly ac- 
cepted those views, so old and yet so new, was not 
there, although almost in hearing of the preacher, 
who, with such eloquence and power, was setting 
forth the primitive gospel. This was Wm. Amend, 
a pious, God-fearing man, a member of the Presby- 
terian Church, and regarded by his neighbors as an 
" Israelite indeed." He had for some time enter- 
tained the same views as those Mr. Scott was then 
preaching in that place for the first time, but was not 
aware that any one agreed with him. He was under 
the impression that all the churches — his own among 
the number — had departed from the plain teachings 
of the Word of God. He had discovered, some time 
before, that infant baptism was not taught in the 
Bible, and, consequently, that he was not a baptized 
man ; the mode of baptism seemed also to him to 
have been changed, and he sought his pastor, and 
asked to be immersed. He endeavored to convince 
him that he was wrong, but finding that he could not 
be turned from his purpose, he proposed to immerse 
him privately, lest others of his flock might be un- 
settled in their minds by his doing so, and closed by 
saying that baptism was not essential to salvation. 
Mr. Amend regarded every thing that Christ had or- 
dained as being essential, and replied that he should 
not immerse him at all ; that he would wait until he 
found a man who believed the gospel, and who could, 
without any scruple, administer the ordinance as he 
conceived it to be taught in the New Testament. 

He was invited a day or two before to hear Mr. Scott, 
but knowing nothing of his views, he supposed that 



THE GOSPEL OFFER ACCEPTED. \0J 

he preached much as others did, but agreed to go and 
hear him. It was near the close of the services when 
he reached the Baptist church and joined the crowd 
at the door, who were unable to get into the house. 
The first sentence he heard aroused and excited him ; 
it sounded like that gospel which he had read with 
such interest at home, but never had heard from the 
pulpit before. He now felt a great anxiety to see the 
man who was speaking so much like the oracles of 
God, and pressed through the throng into the house. 
Mr. Dibble, the clerk of the church, saw him enter, 
and knowing that he had been seeking and longing to 
find a man who would preach as the Word of God 
read, thought within himself, " Had Mr. Amend been 
here during all this discourse I feel sure he would 
have found what he has so long sought in vain. I 
wish the preacher would repeat what he said before 
he came in." Greatly to his surprise the preacher 
did give a brief review of the various points 
of his discourse, insisting that the Word of God 
meant what it said, and urging his hearers to trust 
that Word implicitly. He rehearsed again the Jeru- 
salem scene, called attention to the earnest, anxious 
cry of the multitude, and the comforting reply of the 
apostle, " Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, 
in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, 
and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." He 
invited any one present who believed with all his 
heart, to yield to the terms proposed in the words of 
the apostle, and show by a willing obedience his trust 
in the Lord of life and glory. Mr. Amend pressed 
his way through the crowd to the preacher and made 
known his purpose ; made a public declaration of his 



108 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and his willingness to 
obey him, and, on the same day, in a beautiful, clear 
stream which flows on the southern border of the 
town, in the presence of a great multitude, he was 
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remis- 
sion of sins. 

This event, which forms an era in the religious his- 
tory of the times, took place on the 18th of Novem- 
ber, 1827, and Mr. Amend was, beyond all question, 
the first person in modern times who received the 
ordinance of baptism in perfect accordance with 
apostolic teaching and usage. 



GREAT EXCITEMENT. 



IO9 



CHAPTER VII. 

Great excitement — Mr. Amend's letter — Assailed by preachers — Wesley's 
experience — Testimony of the church standards. 

THE baptism of Mr. Amend occasioned no small 
stir in the community. No one had ever seen 
any thing in all respects like it, and yet it seemed to 
correspond so perfectly with the teachings and prac- 
tice of the apostles that few could fail to see the re- 
semblance. Mr. Scott continued his labors during 
the following week, and many others who had been 
unable to accept the popular teaching of the day had 
their attention arrested by a gospel which they could 
understand, and with the conditions of which they 
could comply, and the result was, that by the next 
Lord's day fifteen others followed the example of Mr. 
Amend by publicly confessing their faith in Jesus as 
the Son of God and being immersed. 

Of course, much opposition was aroused. One 
man went so far as to threaten to shoot Mr. Scott if 
he should baptize his mother, who had sought bap- 
tism at his hands ; but threats and scofls only served 
to increase the zeal of the preacher ; and it was found, 
moreover, that all the converts were able to give such 
reasons for the course they had taken, that no one 
that admitted the Bible to be true could gainsay. 
Another very happy result was, that nearly the whole 
community began to search the Scriptures, many in 



HO LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

the spirit of the Bereans, to see whether these things 
were so ; others with no higher object than to find 
objections to the new doctrine, and many of these 
were forced to the conclusion that if it were false the 
Bible could not be true, as the chief feature of the 
new doctrine was that the preacher could tell every 
honest inquirer his duty in the very language of Holy 
Writ. 

It was a most fortunate circumstance, too, that 
the first one to come out in favor of the new teach- 
ing was a man of undoubted integrity, and of 
more than ordinary intelligence and remarkable for 
his scriptural knowledge, which was far beyond that 
of most men in his condition of life. He had not 
hastily adopted the views of the preacher as soon as 
presented, but, on the contrary, he had reached the 
same conclusions before hearing him, from a careful 
study of the Word of God ; and he knew not until he 
heard Mr. Scott that there was another man on earth 
who held views similar to his own. Indeed, he could 
not strictly be called a convert to the views of Mr. 
Scott ; he had long held them, and was prepared for 
immediate obedience to the law of Christ as soon as 
the opportunity was given. With this humble, God- 
fearing man there is now connected an interest that 
is historic ; he was the first to afford an example of 
strict conformity to the design of an ordinance of the 
church of Jesus, which had so long been lost sight 
of as to become almost meaningless. In him we see 
that ordinance restored to the place designed for it 
by its divine Author — restored, we can not doubt, 
beyond the possibility of ever being perverted or for- 
gotten again. 



MR. A MENUS LETTER. Ill 

Some years after this event, Mr. Scott was called 
upon to give the circumstances which attended this 
restoration of the ordinance of baptism to its primi- 
tive place ; with rare wisdom he called upon Mr. 
Amend to relate the circumstances which led to his 
baptism. He introduces Mr. Amend's letter with 
the following remarks : 



"Dear Sir: The republication of the gospel in the 
style and terms of the apostles was attended with so extraor- 
dinary an excitement as to cause us to forget and some- 
times overlook matters and things, which, on common oc- 
casions, would have been accounted very singular. 

" It was thought, sir, it might minister to your pleasure 
to read a letter from a person who first obeyed the faith as 
now preached in the Reformation. It is inserted here ac- 
cordingly. After vexations not to be mentioned, it was 
resolved to make a draft upon the audience, that it might 
be known why the preacher spoke and wherefore they came 
to hear. Accordingly, bursting away from prejudices and 
feelings almost as strong as death, and thinking of nothing 
but the restoration of the gospel, it was proposed to ascer- 
tain immediately who would obey God and who would not. 
The confusion of all, the preacher not excepted, was in- 
describable. A person whom I had seen come into the 
meeting-house about fifteen minutes before the end of the 
discourse came forward. This, as often as I thought of it, 
had always appeared to me wholly unaccountable, for it 
was most certain the man could not have been converted 
to Christianity by any thing which he heard during the 
few minutes he was present. His letter explains the mat- 
ter, and will enable you, sir, to judge whether this whole 
business, as well on the side of the hearer as on the side 
of the preacher, is not resolvable into the good providence 



112 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

of our Heavenly Father, to whom be the glory through 
Jesus Christ : 

"Beloved Bro. Scott: I received your letter of the 
21st, and was happy to hear you were well; myself and 
family are in good health at present, our youngest child 
excepted. I should be very happy to see you. You re- 
quest me to write the time of my baptism, my feelings, and 
the causes why I accepted the invitation. In order to 
show these things aright. I must go back a piece. I was 
at that time a member of that strait sect called Presbyte- 
rians ; taught many curious things, as election, fore-ordina- 
tion, etc.; that belief in these matters was necessary; that 
this faith resulted .from some secret impulse ; and worse, 
that I could not believe ; and finally, that I must hope and 
pray that God would have mercy upon me ! In this wil- 
derness I became wearied, turned about and came home to 
the Book of God ; took it up as if it had dropped down 
from heaven, and read it for myself just one year. 

" This inquiry led me to see that God so loved the 
world as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever be- 
lieved on him might not perish but have eternal life. I 
then inquired how I must believe. Paul said faith cometh 
by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God ; also that 
faith was the substance of things hoped for — the evidence 
of things not seen. Peter spoke of election, saying, Save 
yourselves. Paul said I must be dead to sin and buried, and 
raised with Christ Jesus to newness of life. The Savior said 
I must be born again if I would enter the kingdom of God. 

" Now, here it was I discovered myself to stand in the 
garden of nature and not in the kingdom of heaven, but I 
learned that of this kingdom Peter received the keys, and 
I was anxious to see what he would do with them. Jesus 
said proclaim the gospel to all the nations ; he that believ- 
eth and is baptized shall be saved, etc. I then moved a 
little forward till I found these words: "Now when they 
heard this they were pricked to the heart, and said to 



MR. AMEND' S LETTER. 113 

Peter and to the other apostles, Men and brethren, what 
shall we do? Peter said, Repent and be baptized every- 
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission 
of sins," etc. To this scripture I often resorted; I saw 
how Peter had opened the kingdom, and the door into 
it, but, to my great disappointment, I saw no man to intro- 
duce me, though I prayed much and often for it. 

" Now, my brother, I will answer your questions. I 
was baptized on the 18th of Nov., 1827, and I will relate 
to you a circumstance which occurred a few days before 
that date. I had read the 2d of the Acts when I expressed 
myself to my wife as follows : " Oh, this is the gospel — this 
is the thing we wish — the remission of our sins ! Oh, that 
I could hear the gospel in these same words 1 — as Peter 
preached it ! I hope I shall some day hear it ; and the 
first man I meet who will preach the gospel thus, with him 
will I go." So, my brother, on the day you saw me come 
into the meeting-house, my heart was open to receive the 
Word of God, and when you cried, "The Scriptures no 
longer shall be a sealed book. God means what he says. 
Is there any man present who will take God at his word, 
and be baptized for remission of sins?" — at that moment 
my feelings were such that I could have cried out, " Glory 
■ to God ! I have found the man whom I have long sought 
for." So I entered the kingdom where I readily laid hold 
of the hope set before me. 

" Let us, then, dear brother, strive so to live as to ob- 
tain an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom 
of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming — there to join with 
the heavenly throng in a song of praise to God and to the 
Lamb forever and ever. Amen. 

" I remain yours/ etc. William Amend." 

It may interest the reader to know that Mr. Amend 
is still living at Hiawatha, Kansas, at the age of nearly 
fourscore ; his mind is still clear and vigorous, and he 
10 



114 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

can read ordinary print without the aid of glasses. 
He has never for a moment swerved from the faith he 
professed some forty-five years ago, and in patience 
and hope he is waiting the Master's call. 

Mr. Scott, after the events narrated above, paid a 
visit to several points on the Western Reserve, and 
in three weeks again returned to New Lisbon. He 
found the interest awakened by his fir§t visit undi- 
minished, and seven more were added to the number 
already baptized. His labors were now in great de- 
mand, calls from various quarters poured in upon him, 
and night and day found him engaged, wherever op- 
portunity afforded, in the Master's work. He soon 
visited New Lisbon again, and over thirty more joyful 
and willing converts were made. The members of the 
Baptist Church received the Word gladly, and almost 
to a man accepted the truth which he presented with 
such force and clearness, and resolved that thence- 
forth the Word of God should be their only rule and 
guide. In this visit Elder Scott was accompanied 
by Joseph Gaston, a minister of the Christian con- 
nection, who had heartily embraced the truth, and 
who by his tender and pathetic exhortations greatly 
aided in promoting the success of the gospel. 

The excitement consequent upon the great relig- 
ious changes in New Lisbon soon spread through the 
county, and Scott and Gaston were urged to visit 
East Fairfield, a village some eight miles distant. 
The community was composed mainly of Quakers 
and Bible Christians, many of whom accepted the 
gospel as presented by the new preachers, and the re- 
sult was, that after a meeting of three or four days a 
large congregation, including several of the most in- 



ASSAILED BY PREACHERS. 115 

fluential people in that locality, was established upon 
the foundation of the apostles and prophets. 

Returning to New Lisbon, Elder Scott found the 
truth to be advancing, but as of old, also, some con- 
tradicting and almost blaspheming ; the ordinance of 
baptism was ridiculed ; opprobious names were given 
to those who accepted the new doctrine, which was 
stigmatized as heresy, a Water Salvation, as worse than 
Romanism — the opposers, in their zeal, forgetting 
that faith, repentance, and a new life were as much 
insisted on by the Reformers as those who differed 
from them in other respects. Chief in the opposition 
were the Methodist and Presbyterian ministers who, 
during his absence at Fairfield, assailed both Scott 
and his teaching from their respective puipits. Of 
this he was informed, and on the first evening after 
his return a large audience gathered to hear him. 
Just as he was beginning his discourse the two min- 
isters came in, and as soon as they were seated Scott 
said : "There are two gentlemen in the house who, 
in my absence, made a man of straw and called it 
Scott ; this they bitterly assailed ; now if they have 
any thing to say the veritable Scott is here, and the 
opportunity is now theirs to make good what they 
have said elsewhere. Let us lay our views before the 
people and they shall decide who is right ; for my 
part, I am willing at any time to exchange two errors- 
for one truth. Come out, gentlemen, like men, and 
let us discuss the matters at issue." His reverend 
assailants showing no signs of accepting his invita- 
tion, he called them by name, and, addressing some 
young persons on the front seat, said : " Boys, make 
room there. Now, gentlemen, come forward." The 



I l6 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

ministers, however, felt that the man and his teach- 
ings could be more safely assailed in his absence than 
in his presence ; they therefore rose, and arm in arm 
left the house, leaving behind them the impression 
that they felt unable to make good their charges of 
heresy and false doctrine. 

A report was also set on foot derogatory to the 
moral standing of Mr. Scott. This attack on his 
character called forth* much sympathy in his behalf. 
A number of the citizens undertook the investiga- 
tion of the matter, which resulted in covering his 
revilers with shame, and adding to his already great 
influence in -the community. A handsome purse was 
also made up and presented to him by those who 
were indignant at the base and unfounded charges 
which had been made against him. 

Not long after, another Methodist minister an- 
nounced that he would review and expose the new 
doctrine. A large audience assembled to hear him, 
and among them Scott himself. The preacher ad- 
dressed himself to his task in an unlovely spirit ; in- 
troducing the services by reading the hymn : 

"Jesus, great Shepherd of the Sheep, 
To thee for help we fly ; 
Thy little flock in safety keep, 
For oh ! the Wolf is nigh ;" 

emphasizing the last line in such a way as to leave 
no doubt as to who was the Wolf that he had in his 
eye. He assailed Mr. Scott and his teachings in 
terms neither chaste nor select, grossly misrepresent- 
ing both the man and his doctrine. When he closed, 
Mr. Scott begged the liberty of correcting some of 
the statements which had been made, and did so in a 



THE WOLF IS NIGH. I 1 7 

manner so kind and gentlemanly that the audience 
were as deeply impressed with the Christian spirit he 
exhibited as they had been disgusted with the coarse- 
ness and rudeness of his assailant, to whom they 
thought the epithet wolf belonged more properly, 
than to whom it was intended to apply. 

Such were some of the circumstances which at- 
tended the restoration of the ordinance of baptism to 
its proper place in the gospel scheme ; and it is some- 
what difficult in this day to realize how it could have 
caused such excitement and aroused such bitter op- 
position. The ordinance, beyond all doubt, had a de- 
sign, and the setting forth that design in the language 
of Scripture, and making practical that which was 
misunderstood and useless before, constituted the 
great peculiarity of Mr. Scott's teaching upon this 
subject. In connecting it with the remission of sins, 
no thought of its possessing any merit or cleansing 
power entered into his mind. Christ was the Savior, 
and in him all saving power was centered, and bap- 
tism was but one of the conditions necessary to the 
enjoyment of the salvation which his death had made 
possible. On the part of the sinner believing on the 
Lord Jesus with all his heart, feeling his sinfulness 
and need of pardon, baptism was the open and public 
avowal of his state of mind and heart, and an accept- 
ance of the offer made in the gospel to those who 
truly believe and heartily repent ; and on the part of 
Christ it was a solemn assurance that his submission 
was accepted ; that his past sins were forgiven ; that 
he was received into the divine favor and adopted into 
the family of God. 

Mr. Scott's opposers regarded him as substituting 



1 1 8. LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

baptism for faith in the Lord Jesus, and a change of 
heart ; while he ever taught that faith in Christ and 
a changed heart brought the believing penitent to 
baptism as a solemn act of obedience, which proved 
the sincerity of his faith, and the reality of the change 
in his heart and affections. He regarded it as the 
instrument by which Christ gave assurance of pardon 
to those who by obedience entered into covenant 
with him ; the act by which the transition was made 
from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God's 
dear Son ; the marriage ceremony, by which the be- 
liever was united to Christ ; the law of naturalization, 
by which those who had been aliens and foreigners 
were made citizens of the kingdom of God. With 
him it was the point at which forgiveness was realized 
by actual submission to the law of Christ ; for as 
forgiveness must be realized before peace and joy 
could take possession of the heart, and as forgiveness 
could take place only before obedience, or after obedi- 
ence, or in obedience, it seemed more reasonable, as 
well as scriptural, that it should be found in obedience, 
rather than before it, or be delayed after obedience 
was rendered. 

This view alone rendered the Scriptures intel- 
ligible. In the commission, as given by Mark, " He 
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," in 
some way connected being " saved " with the condi- 
tions of belief and baptism. Christ had said be- 
fore that, " Except a man be born of water and of 
the Spirit he can not enter into the kingdom of 
God." The language of Peter, Acts ii : 38, " Re- 
pent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name 
of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins," indicated 



HIS VIEWS OF BAPTISM. I 1 9 

some connection between baptism and pardon. The 
language of Ananias to Saul, " Arise and be bap- 
tized, and wash away thy sins," seemed to point to the 
same thing. u As many of you as have been bap- 
tized into Christ have put on Christ," seemed to mark 
the entering into a new relation to Christ by bap- 
tism;* and the language of I Peter iii : 21, "The 
like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now 
save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, 
but the answer of a good conscience toward God), by 
the resurrection of Jesus Christ," was in some way 
associated with being " saved " in some sense, and 
also with the obtaining a "good conscience." 

These he felt it neither safe to ignore nor possible 
to explain away ; to teach them was the only course 
that remained. This he did, but not to the neglect 
of any thing else enjoined in the word of God ; and 
yet this was the head and front of his heresy. In 
teaching this he restored one of the long-neglected 
conditions of pardon to its proper place, and thus 
brought order out of confusion, and substituted light 
for the darkness upon this subject, which long had 
reigned. 

Before the restoration of this neglected element 
of gospel obedience — this missing link- — assurance 
of pardon was, by the great majority, made to de- 
pend upon the simple exercise of faith ; that is, the 
proof or evidence that an individual was pardoned 
depended on his faith that such really was the case. 
But here was the difficulty ; if an individual, who 
was conscious of being in an unpardoned state, was 
required to believe that he was pardoned in order that 
he might be, he was likely to reason as follows : " If 



120 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

I believe I am pardoned now, am I not believing that 
which is not true? the pardon must be granted 
before I can believe it." It seems like teaching that 
all men are in a pardoned state, but all do not enjoy 
it because they do not believe it ; it is like telling the 
sick man you are well if you only believe it, while he 
would feel like replying, " I can not believe I am well 
until such is really the case." Very many made their 
feelings the test of their standing in the sight of 
God, and, in striving after what they deemed the 
proper state of feeling for pardoned persons, fell 
into many extravagancies. Dreams and visions and 
any unusual occurrences were regarded as tokens of 
God's favor ; not a few could be found ready to 
testify that they had heard from above the words, 
" Thy sins be forgiven thee ;" others, after having 
their minds filled with terror, and being brought 
very near to the pit of despair, would regard the 
calm which followed as the smiling of God's face ; 
and still others would for years realize all the al- 
ternations of hope and despair, at times feeling as- 
sured of God's favor, at other times writhing under 
his frown. 

No fixed and definite way of coming to God and 
receiving an assurance of his favor seemed to be 
known; each effort to that end was an experiment, 
and none knew whether it would result in joy or de- 
spair. Penitents earnest and sincere, for long periods 
sought pardon, but their prayers and tears seemed of 
no avail ; in sorrow and anguish of spirit they were 
compelled to give up the search without finding 
heaven disposed to be gracious to their souls. We 
know not how to better illustrate this state of things 



WESL EY'S EXPERIENCE. 1 2 1 

than by giving the experience of John Wesley upon 
this very point of assurance of acceptance with God. 
One of his biographers thus writes : 

"John Wesley is now thirty-five years of age. Thirteen 
years have passed since he began to s'eek the salvation of 
his soul by trying to keep the law of God. These years 
have been spent in such earnest work as few men ever per- 
form. His eye has been steadfastly fixed on the grand ob- 
ject of his pursuit. He has, with rare force of will, made 
every thing in and about him subserve his high purpose. 
Though uncertain of divine favor, he has heroically per- 
sisted in doing the divine will, so far as he has understood 
it. He meets with a good Moravian brother, named Peter 
Bohler. They talk of religion with burning hearts. Peter 
soon discovers that his learned friend is prevented from 
enjoying peace of mind, because of certain errors of 
opinion ; and looking very tenderly into his serious face, 
he says, feelingly : ' My brother ! my brother ! that phi- 
losophy of yours must be purged away.' 

"They part. Wesley thinks deeply on the questions raised 
by Peter, until going to Oxford some days later to see his 
brother Charles, who was supposed to be dying, he meets 
Peter Bohler again. Their conversation is renewed, until 
Wesley, with genuine humility, confesses : ' I am clearly con- 
vinced of unbelief, of the want of that faith whereby alone 
we are saved.' Then his highly-sensitive conscience smites 
him, and presses this question upon him : ' You must leave 
off preaching. How can you preach to others, who, like 
you, have not faith?' This inquiry troubled him, and, 
with his wonted openness, he stated it to Peter, and asks : 
' Should I leave off preaching or not ? ' With sound good 
sense, Peter rejoins: 'By no means.' 'But what can I 
preach ? ' urges the distressed Wesley. ' Preach faith till 
you have it, and then because you have it, you will preach 
faith.' 

II 



122 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

"They separate. But meeting Bohler again, he is told 
that ' Dominion over sin, and constant peace from a 
sense of forgiveness, attend the exercise of saving faith.' 
He is amazed at this statement. He has never supposed 
that a sense of forgiveness was his privilege. But he 
promises to search for the doctrine in his Greek Testa- 
ment. He does this with much prayer. Light breaks in 
upon his mind, and when he meets Peter, a month later, 
he confesses to have found the blessed doctrine in the 
sacred Word, very much to his friend's satisfaction, and 
to the increase of his own hopes. And now Peter renews 
his astonishment, by declaring that the blessing of pardon 
and of a new heart is graciously given to a penitent the 
7noment he trusts in Christ ! ' Impossible ! ' cries the still 
incredulous Wesley. ' Search the Scriptures and see,' 
replies Bohler. Again is our scholar confounded by the 
simple word of God. He finds scarcely any other than 
instantaneous conversions recorded in the sacred page. 

It is now the 24th of May, 1738. At five in the morning he 
opens his Greek Testament, and these words meet his eye : 
'There are given unto us exceeding great and precious 
promises, even that ye should be partakers of the divine 
nature. ' 

"This encourages him. On going out he opens his 
Testament again, and is comforted by the words, ' Thou 
art not far from the kingdom of God.' In the afternoon 
he attends divine service at St. Paul's, where the anthem 
encourages his hopes. In the evening he goes to a little 
society meeting, in Aldersgate Street. Behold him seated, 
with sad expression, among a few poor, earnest seekers of 
his Lord, listening to a man reading Luther's preface to 
the Epistle to the Romans ! About a quarter before nine, 
the speaker describes the change which God works in the 
heart through faith. In a moment his heart is ' strangely 
warmed,' and sends up a spontaneous prayer for his 



WESLE Y'S EXPERIENCE. 1 2 3 

enemies — the first gush of the love begotten in him by the 
Holy Spirit. 

"Very soon the speaker stops. Wesley rises, his face 
radiant with heavenly light, and says : ' I now, for the 
first time, feel in my heart that I trust in Christ, Christ 
alone, for salvation. I have an assurance that he has taken 
away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin 
and death!' " 

This is, doubtless, a true but a sad picture of an 
earnest soul seeking after God — willing to be saved, 
yet seeking God's favor in vain for thirteen long 
years. Was Wesley insincere or God unwilling to 
save ? Neither ; Wesley was seeking without any 
clear apprehension of the plan of salvation, at one 
time seeking the advice of a friend who was a blind 
leader of the blind, learning after years of mental 
suffering that a "sense of forgiveness was his priv- 
ilege." . 

Opening his Testament at random ; looking for 
what he needs now in an anthem ; again at a little 
society meeting ; and when the assurance does come, 
it is a marvelous if not miraculous affair, and totally 
unlike any of the cases reported in the Word of God. 
Has God taught men to seek thus without telling 
them where they may find ? did the gospel offer, point 
out no path by which peace and pardon might be 
found ? 

Every case of conversion after the gospel was 
first proclaimed on Pentecost shows that obedi- 
ence was always followed by the joy of pardon. One 
of the great elements restored by Scott was, that all 
who felt as did the multitude who on Pentecost cried 
out, " Men and brethren, what shall we do ?" by obe-' 



124 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

dience to the instructions there given in the words 
" Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name 
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall 
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit," might, like them, 
" gladly receive the Word," and feel an assurance 
that the promise was fulfilled to the joy of their 
hearts. 

It is true that Wesley's case was before the times 
of which we write, but myriads of cases, more or less 
like his, were to be found at that time, and to them it 
was the greatest joy their hearts had ever known to 
be pointed to Pentecost as the model for all time. 

It is worthy of note that Wesley himself afterwards, 
whether he perceived the precise relation of baptism 
to the forgiveness of sins or not, expressed himself as 
if he both understood and believed it. His language 
is : " Baptism, administered to real penitents, is both 
a means and a seal of pardon. Nor did God ordina- 
rily in the primitive church bestow this (pardon) on 
any unless through this means." Indeed, it is a 
somewhat remarkable fact, that nearly all the creeds 
of the various religious parties at that time associ- 
ated the remission of sins with baptism, and yet they 
all united in casting Scott's name out as evil because 
he taught and practiced in accordance with their own 
creeds, -which in this instance were not at variance 
with the Word of God. 

As proof of this, we give quotations from the 
creeds of some of the largest and most popular 
denominations. The Episcopal Prayer-book uses 
the words "washing away of sins," and teaches that 
"God will grant them remission of their sins" who 
.come to the ordinance of baptism in faith, truly 



CALVIN'S VIEWS. 1 25 

repenting. The Methodist Discipline uses similar 
language. The Presbyterian Confession says : " Bap- 
tism is a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained 
by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admis- 
sion of the party baptized into the visible church, 
but also to be unto him a sign and seal of the cove- 
nant of grace, of his ingrafting into Christ, of regen- 
eration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up 
unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness 
of life ; which sacrament is, by Christ's own appoint- 
ment, to be continued in his church until the end of 
the world." The Baptist creed says : " Baptism is an 
ordinance of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus 
Christ, to be unto the party baptized a sign of his 
fellowship with him in his death and resurrection, of 
his being ingrafted into him, of remission of sins, and 
of his giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to 
live and walk in newness of life." The Roman Cath- 
olic and Greek Church say : " We believe in one 
baptism for the remission of sins." Calvin, the great 
Reformer, says " Baptism resembles a legal instru- 
ment, properly attested, by which he assures us that 
all our sins are canceled, effaced, and obliterated, so 
that they will never appear in his sight or come into 
his remembrance, or be imputed to us. .For he com- 
mands all who believe to be baptized for the remis- 
sion of sins." 

" Therefore, those who have imagined that bap- 
tism is nothing more than a mark or sign by which 
we profess our religion before men, as soldiers 
wear the insignia of their sovereign as a mark of 
their profession, have not considered that which was 
the principal thing in baptism, which is that we 



126 



LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



ought to receive it with this promise :" " He that be- 
lieveth and is baptized shall be saved ;" and, indeed, 
there is no single item of religious faith and practice 
in regard to which the various church standards give 
such a united and uniform testimony as baptism for 
the remission of sins, yet with almost equal unanim- 
ity the various parties deny and discard what those 
standards so unequivocally affirm. Scott's plea, 
then, was a strong one, and one, moreover, that could 
not be treated as a new and unheard of view of the 
case, and one which he could present in the very 
words of .Holy Scripture. 



VISITS WARREN. 



127 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Visits Warren — Cold reception — John Tait's conversion — Sketch of Elder 
Bentley. 



IN order to be nearer the field of his labors, Mr. 
Scott now removed to Canfield, on the Reserve ; 
and, elated by the remarkable success which had 
attended his labors at New Lisbon, and not doubt- 
ing but that the divine blessing would accompany 
the Word when faithfully proclaimed, he paid a visit 
to Warren, on the Western Reserve, at which place 
was the largest and strongest church within the 
bounds of the Association. This congregation had 
enjoyed for many years the labors of Adamson Bent- 
ley, to whose ministry, in a great measure, its pros- 
perity was due. No Baptist minister was better 
known or more highly esteemed than he in all that 
region. He sympathized with Mr. Campbell in his 
views as set forth in the "Christian Baptist," and 
had, in a great measure, under these enlarged views 
of Bible truth, outgrown the limits of the narrow 
creed of the religious body with which he was iden- 
tified, and had, moreover, expressed in public the 
same views in regard to the design of baptism as had 
recently been turned to such practical account by 
Mr. Scott. 

Some months before this time, in company with 
Jacob Osborne, a minister of great promise, he had 



128 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

gone to Bracevflle to hold a meeting, and during its 
progress, while speaking with regard to baptism, he 
stated that it was designed to be a pledge of the re- 
mission of sins. After meeting, on their way home, 
Mr. Osborne said : " Well, Bro. Bentley, you have chris- 
tened baptism to-day." " How so ?" said Mr. Bentley. 
44 You termed it a remitting institution." " Well," 
rejoined Mr. Bentley, "I do not see how this conclu- 
sion is to be avoided with the Scriptures .before us." 
" It is the truth," said Mr. Osborne, who was a great 
student of the Bible, "and I have for some time 
thought that the waters of baptism must stand in the 
same position to us that the blood of sacrifices did to 
the Jews. The blood of bulls and of goats could 
never take away sins, as Paul declares, yet when 
offered at the altar by the sinner, he had the divine 
assurance that his sins were forgiven him. This 
blood was merely typical of the blood of Christ, the 
true sin-offering to which it pointed prospectively ; 
and it seems to me that the water in baptism, which 
has no power in itself to wash away sins, now refers 
retrospectively to the purifying power of the blood 
of the Lamb of God." 

Mr. Scott, not long after, fell in with them, and all 
three went to Howland together ; the discourse of 
Bentley at Braceville came up, in course of conver- 
sation, and Scott expressed his agreement with the 
view he had taken of the subject. Mr. Osborne 
preached at Howland, and in his remarks advanced 
the idea that no one had the promise of the Holy 
Spirit until after baptism. The remark seemed to 
strike Mr. Scott with surprise,, and after meeting he 
said to Mr. Osborne : " You are a man of great cour- 



ELDER BENTLEY FEARFUL. 1 29 

age ;" and, turning to Mr. Bentley, he added : " Do 
you not think so, Bro. Bentley ?" " Why ?" said Mr. 
Bentley. " Because," said he, "he ventured to assert 
to-day that no one had a right to expect the Holy 
Spirit until after baptism." 

These events took place before the occurrences at 
New Lisbon, and, doubtless, being fresh in the mind 
of Scott, he naturally expected -not only a warm wel- 
come from the church in Warren, but also the earnest 
co-operation of its pastor, Elder Bentley, and Mr. 
Osborne, who was teaching an academy there, as 
they both held the views which he had been so ably 
and successfully advocating. In this, as far as Elder 
Bentley was concerned, he was at first disappointed ; 
the views which he had expressed at Braceville, with 
regard to the design of baptism, were his views still, 
but he never had thought of making them practical 
or operative, as they recently had been by Mr. Scott, 
the report of whose doings at New Lisbon had pre- 
ceded him to Warren, and had made, the impression 
on the mind of Bentley that his course was one differ- 
ing widely and dangerously from Baptist usage, and 
indeed from the practice of all other churches, and 
in consequence he could not but regard him with 
suspicion. 

Immediately after his arrival, having met with 
Elder Bentley, Scott asked concerning the condition 
of the church, and was told in reply that it was get- 
ting on much as usual ; whereupon Scott intimated 
that he was pursuing a course very different from 
that .usually taken, but, as he thought, in perfect ac- 
cordance with the teaching of the New Testament 
and the practice of the apostles. He, moreover, 



130 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

frankly told him that the views he entertained were 
such as would unsettle the minds of the brethren, 
and if adopted would lead to the giving up of many 
things which they as Baptists held dear, but that the 
result would be a purer and more useful church. "I 
have," said he, " got the saw by the handle, and I ex- 
pect to saw you all asunder" — meaning by this, that 
their creed and church articles must give way before 
the truth of God, which he proposed to insist upon 
as the only rule and guide for the church. 

Bentley did not enter into the spirit nor catch the 
enthusiasm of the ardent evangelist ; the course pro- 
posed seemed to him revolutionary — one in which 
there might be great danger, and for which he did 
not feel prepared, and when Scott urged that an ap- 
pointment be given out for him to preach that even- 
ing in the Baptist church, he intimated that he 
thought it best for him not to begin his labors just 
then — wishing, no doubt, to learn more of the course 
he expected to pursue before he gave it his help and 
approval. Scott felt, however, that the King's busi- 
ness required haste, and insisted that an appointment 
should be made, and, after they parted, sent a note to 
Jacob Osborne, then engaged in teaching, requesting 
him to give notice through his pupils that there 
would be preaching that night at the Baptist church, 
which was done. On learning this, Elder Bentley 
gave orders that the meeting-house should not be 
opened that night, in consequence of which Scott 
procured the use of the court-house, and had the 
people notified that he would address them there. 
An audience, mainly of young people, assembled, and 
he addressed them in such a manner as to make a 



BENTLEY YIELDS. 131 

most favorable impression, and at the close of his 
discourse he requested them to make it known that 
on the next night he would tell all who might favor 
him with their presence something they had never 
heard before. This, of course, was the means of 
letting every one in the town and vicinity know 
that something out of the usual order might be 
expected. 

The next day Scott met with Bentley and Osborne, 
and Bentley withdrew his opposition, and agreed that 
the meeting should be held that night in the church 
instead of the court-house. A large audience gath- 
ered, and the zeal and eloquence of the preacher car- 
ried his hearers by storm. He presented Christianity 
in virgin robes of truth and purity, as when she de- 
scended from her native skies — and sectarianism in 
every form suffered by the contrast. The religion of 
the New Testament, in all its beauty and simplicity, 
stripped of the difficulties with which human teach- 
ing had encumbered anpl disfigured it, was shown to 
be perfectly adapted to human wants and woes, arid 
the fullness and freeness of the salvation which it 
offered, contrasted with the narrow partialism of the 
prevailing Calvinism of the times, made it seem like 
a gospel indeed — glad tidings of great joy to all peo- 
ple. The next night brought a still larger audience 
and an increased interest. The prejudices of Bentley 
gave way under the luminous exhibitions of the gos- 
pel, and he soon embraced heartily the truth which 
Scott presented with fidelity and power. With some 
of these views, as we have seen, he had for some time 
been familiar, but until now he had never realized 
their practical significance, nor had they ever brought 



I $2 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

such joy to his heart before. Soon, too, the uncon- 
verted portion of the audience began to yield to the 
claims of the gospel ; and as they inquired anxiously, 
" Men and brethren, what shall we do ?" they were 
met with the same answer which was given to the 
same question in the days of old. Baptism on a 
simple confession of faith in Jesus as the Son of God 
speedily followed, the newly baptized were added to 
the church, and what was said of Samaria after the 
preaching of Philip was true of Warren — " there was 
great joy in that city." 

Scott spent eight days in all at that visit, during 
which time twenty-nine persons were baptized, and 
the entire Baptist Church, with one or two excep- 
tions, accepted the new order of things, which had 
so long been forgotten. 

The work, however, did not stop on the departure 
of the preacher — the truth wrought mightily in the 
community, the Bible was read and searched as never 
before, members of other churches were led to exam- 
ine the new doctrine, as it was called, and this led 
them to see the weakness of partyism, and resulted 
in the conviction that it was true, and led them to 
abandon their old and long-cherished associations 
and unite with those who had taken the Word of God 
alone as their guide. Among the convercs during 
the first visit of Scott, was John Tait, a man of great 
stature and strong will ; he was a .Presbyterian, 
warmly attached to the faith of his fathers, and when 
his wife, who had attended on Scott's preaching, 
resolved to confess Christ and be baptized, he op- 
posed her bitterly, and even went so far as to threaten 
violence to the preacher if he should baptize her. 



AN ANGRY HUSBAND. I 33 

The preacher, not in the least intimidated, gave him 
to understand that, if his wife wished to be baptized, 
he would baptize her even if he, her husband, should 
stand with a drawn sword to prevent it. The wife, 
fully convinced that it was her duty to render this 
act of obedience to her Lord, notwithstanding the 
violent opposition of her husband, was determined 
to be baptized. Almost frantic with excitement, he 
called on Scott, and found him in company with sev- 
eral preachers who were attending the meeting, and 
forbade the baptism of his wife. Scott and Bentley 
attempted, but in vain, for a time to reason with him, 
urging that his wife was acting in accordance with 
her convictions of duty as set forth in the Word of 
God, and that in a matter of such moment she ought 
to be allowed to decide for herself. It was long be- 
fore he could be calmed sufficiently to reason upon the 
subject, but the mildness and gentleness with which 
Scott treated him caused him in a measure to relent 
and listen to what the Word of God, for which he 
professed a deep reverence, had to say upon the mat-" 
ter. As the examination of the Scriptures proceeded, 
and the light began to dawn upon his mind, his man- 
ner and feelings underwent a great change, and, 
deeply moved, he said to Mr. Scott, " Will you pray 
for me ?" " No, sir," said he, " I will not pray for a 
man who will so rudely oppose his wife in her desire 
to do the will, of God, but perhaps this brother will 
pray for you." The brother named did so, with -great 
earnestness and fervor, and Tait was so melted dur- 
ing the prayer that, when they rose from their knees, 
he, in a very humble manner, asked to be baptized. 
His request was granted, and among the new con- 



134 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

verts there was none happier or more earnest than 
John Tait. Not long after his baptism Mr. Tait met 
with his former pastor, and entered into conversation 
with him with regard to the change in his views and 
church relationship. The Scriptures were appealed 
to, and Tait urged upon him that he should, in accord- 
ance with their teaching, be baptized for the remis- 
sion of sins. " What !" said the minister, " would you 
have me to be baptized contrary to my conscience ?" 
" Yes," said Tait. " Were you, Mr. Tait," he replied, 
" baptized contrary to your conscience ?" "Yes," was 
the reply, "I was. My conscience told me that 
sprinkling in infancy would do, but the Word of God 
said: 'Be baptized for the remission of sins,' and I 
thought it better to tear my conscience than to tear 
a leaf out of the Bible." 

This interview made a deep impression upon the 
minister. The more he looked at the Bible in regard 
to the matter, the more he doubted his former teach- 
ing on the subject, and he soon abandoned his pulpit ; 
he felt that he could no longer preach as before, but 
he lacked the courage to say that he had been 
preaching a human theory, and to preach thenceforth 
only what was taught in the Word of God. 

The interest awakened by Scott's first visit did not- 
prove to be a short-lived one ; on the contrary, it 
continued to deepen and widen ; the entire com- 
munity was stirred and aroused. Many of the con- 
gregations in the adjacent towns partook of the prev- 
alent spirit, and the entire winter was characterized 
by a religious zeal and success such as never had been 
known in that region before. All the new converts 
had to defend the faith they had embraced, and, with 



BENTLEY' S LIFE AND LABORS. 1 35 

the Bible in their hands, they fully proved their 
ability to do so, and numerous additions were made 
to the church at Warren. 

Bentley and Osborne followed up the work which 
Scott had begun with great zeal and success. The 
return of Scott on several occasions within a brief 
period, added to the prevailing interest, and in five 
months the membership at Warren was doubled, the 
additions amounting to one hundred and seventeen. 
The most important result of Mr. Scott's visit to 
Warren was the enlistment of Elder Bentley in the 
adoption and advocacy of his views of the ancient 
gospel. His untiring and successful labors rendered 
him one of the most useful men of the time, and no 
one contributed more than he to the spread of the 
Reformation over the Western Reserve, and also by 
means of his numerous converts through the Great 
West. No permanent record with regard to him has 
been given to the world, and this seems a fitting 
place to give some connected account of his life and 
labors. • 

Adamson Bentley was born on the 4th of July, 
1785, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and early 
in life removed to the Western Reserve, at that time 
almost an unbroken forest. Of course his advantages 
were but limited, as is the case in all new settlements ; 
yet he, in a measure, made up for the lack of schools 
and teachers by private study, and thus qualified him- 
self for the useful and honorable positions which he 
occupied so long and so well. When but a youth his 
thoughts were attracted to the subject of religion, 
and he was not slow to carry out his convictions of 
duty. He became a member of the Baptist Church, 



136 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

and his zeal and piety, as well as his gifts, soon 
marked him out as one well fitted for the responsible 
position of a preacher of the faith which his life 
adorned. ' He began, to speak in public when about 
nineteen years of age, and some five years after was 
ordained to the ministry of the Word. In about one 
year after this he was called to the pastoral care of 
the church at Warren, which, under his labors, soon 
became the strongest church in that portion of the 
State. To an easy and polished delivery was added 
a fine personal appearance and most engaging man- 
ners ; he was by nature a gentleman — manly, grace- 
ful and dignified, the peer of the best, and yet so 
affable and kind as to win the esteem of the very 
humblest. The religious system which he adopted 
was that of rigid Calvinism, as taught in the Phila- 
delphia Confession of Faith, which, at that time, was 
the generally received symbol of the Baptist body. 
It was hard for a frank, generous, benevolent nature 
like his to accommodate itself to such a harsh and 
narrow creed ; nay, it waS impossible for him to 
•be thus cramped ; hence, though he held in theory the 
doctrine of particular election and a limited atone- 
ment in practice, his heart full of the love of Christ 
and perishing sinners, led him often so to present the 
mercy of Christ through the gospel as to bring many 
to repentance. At that period of his life he did not 
doubt the doctrine of his creed, and often made the 
common yet unsuccessful effort to reconcile the 
" decrees " with free agency ; yet he loved to make the 
offers of mercy to lost men in the terms he found in 
the Bible, his feelings and practice thus often getting 
the better of his theology. 



FEARS FOR HIS CHILDREN. 1 37 

Some of his mental exercises at this time were of 
a most painful character ; and years after, when des- 
cribing how he came to be emancipated from his chill- 
ing creed, he thus refers to them : " I used," said he, 
" to take my little children on my knee, and to look 
upon them as they played in harmless innocence about 
me, and wonder which of them was to be finally and 
forever lost !" " It can not be," he continued, " that 
God has been so good to me as to elect all my chil- 
dren, before time began, to be saved, and to dwell with 
him in love forever ! No, no ! I am myself a miracle 
of mercy, and it can not be that God has been kinder 
to me than to all other parents. Some of these little 
ones are, then, of the non-elect, and to be finally ban- 
ished from God and all good. And now (and his 
paternal heart swelling with unutterable emotions), if 
I only knew which of my children were to dwell ^n 
everlasting burnings, Oh how kind and tender would I 
be to them, knowing that all the comfort they would 
ever experience would be here in this world ! But now 
I see the gospel admits all to salvation ! Now I can 
have hope of every one for eternal happiness ! Now 
I can pray and labor for them in hope !" 

His prayers were heard, his labors blessed. Years 
before his departure he enjoyed that greatest bliss 
of a pious parent's heart — he saw all his children 
walking in the truth. 

He was present at the formation of the Mahoning 
Association, and his ability as a preacher, and tact 
and dignity as a presiding -officer, rendered him one 
of its most prominent members during its entire ex- 
istence. His name appears on the records of every 
meeting ; he was often chosen Moderator, and deliv- 
12 



I38 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

ered the opening sermon at its meeting at New Lis- 
bon, in August, 1827, when Walter Scott was chosen 
and sent out on what proved to be such an important 
mission. Owing to the fact that he soon came to have 
clearer views of the plan of salvation than most of 
the Baptist preachers in that region, as a consequence 
his public labors were attended with greater success. 
At one of the meetings one hundred and three con- 
versions were reported in the bounds of the Associ- 
ation, and of these, fifty-six, or more than half the 
entire number, were reported by the Concord church 
at Warren, of which he was at that time pastor. 
When perfectly free from the shackles of a gloomy 
and depressing system, he labored with far greater 
freedom and more abundant success. It was to him 
a great deliverance to be able to offer, without any 
misgiving, the gospel of life and peace to all ; and 
how earnestly and effectually he did so thousands can 
tell. He waited not for opportunities to preach this 
now no longer terrible but glad gospel ; but. burning 
with zeal, sought and made them — in school-houses, 
barns, and private dwellings ; or, as was frequently 
the case, in the forest shades, with a wagon-bed for 
a pulpit, and an audience swelling at times to thou- 
sands, with all the simplicity and earnestness of the 
men of Galilee, he preached the same message which 
they first heralded to the world. " As a preacher, 
like all. men who leave their impression on society, 
he was like no one else, and no one resembled him. 
He usually began slowly, with simple and plain state- 
ments of his subject, rambling not unfrequently, till, 
warming in his subject, he broke the shackles of 
logic, and swept on like a swelling tide, bearing his 



BENTLE Y AS A PRE A CHER. I 39 

audience away with the pathos and vehemence of his 
earnest and commanding oratory. On such occasions 
his voice became full, sonorous, and powerful. When 
the shower was passed, the people not caring to an- 
alyze the sermon, or to trace their emotions to logical 
sources, were delighted and edified, and departed 
with marked and decided respect for the preacher, 
and a far higher reverence for the adorable Son of 
God, whom he preached and whom he served. He 
never trifled in the pulpit. His message was solemn, 
and seriously and earnestly did he urge it." But it 
was not in the pulpit alone that his influence was felt ; 
his spotless integrity and pure walk in life gave force 
to his public ministrations, for his audience knew 
that they were listening to an upright and good man. 
We need not here mention the various places at 
which he labored, nor the results by which those 
labors were attended, as these will appear in the 
course of the narrative. 

His powers suffered no sad eclipse, but his sun 
came to a golden setting ; his erect form bent but 
slightly when on the verge of fourscore, and to the 
same extreme old age he was able to preach with 
clearness and vigor. Nearly his last words were, 
"I rely not on myself; my full and only hope and 
trust is in the Rock, Christ Jesus, which was cleft for 
me !" 



14° LIFE OF FLDER WALTER SCOTT. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Meeting at Austintown — A. S. Hayden a convert — Church organized — 
John Henry- — Death of Joseph Gaston. 

THE year 1827-28 proved to be a year of battle 
and of victory. Great success in one field was 
the harbinger of triumph in the next, and after the suc- 
cessful issue of the meeting at Warren, Scott was so 
well assured of the power of the primitive gospel to sub- 
due the heart, that wherever he went he now preached 
without the least misgiving, and boldly called on his 
hearers to submit to the claims of Christ the Lord. 
He had by this time also several true and earnest 
fellow-laborers, who entered into the work with all the 
zeal of new converts, and wherever these preach- 
ers of the ancient faith appeared, the truth ran 
through the community like fire through dry stubble. 
Chief among these helpers was Elder Bentley, of 
whom an extended notice was given in the preced- 
ing chapter. He was a tower of strength to the 
infant cause ; the weight of his character, in addition 
to his fine pulpit talent, rendered his presence greatly 
desirable wherever the leaven of the new doctrine 
was beginning to work, especially in Baptist com- 
munities, where he was well and favorably known, 
and. who were anxious to learn from his own lips the 
reasons which had led him to give up the cherished 
convictions of a lifetime. 



JOHN HENR V BA P TIZED. 1 4 1 

Scott was a stranger ; his fiery zeal to some seemed 
wild enthusiasm, and his entire absorption in his 
theme made him at times eccentric ; but the Baptists 
had ever looked on Bentley as their safest and best 
man ; no one imagined that he could be turned 
hither and thither by every wind of doctrine : and 
hence, from his known integrity and soundness of 
judgment, he was heard without that prejudice with 
which Scott, as a stranger, had every-where to con- 
tend. The visits of Bentley would most admirably 
prepare for the coming of Scott ; and when the for- 
mer had disarmed them of all prejudice, the latter 
would join him and take entire communities by storm. 
Thus it was at Austintown. Bentley sent an ap- 
pointment in the latter part of February to preach at 
a school-house there, in which Wm. Hayden, who 
afterwards became so famous, was then teaching. At 
the close of his first discourse a young man presented 
himself for baptism, which created quite a stir. As 
the school-house was occupied during the day, preach- 
ing was announced for the next day at a private house 
in the neighborhood. A large number assembled, 
and nine converts were made, among whom was one 
who soon became a successful advocate of the truth 
which he that day received. This was John Henry. 
His wife was baptized at the same time. 

Such a favorable opening having been made, it was 
thought best to follow it up, and Scott therefore sent 
an appointment for March the 19th — which was about 
the middle of the week. The preacher came, and was 
greeted by a fine audience ; and at the close of the 
discourse — which was in the day-time — five persons 
came forward for baptism, among them the now well- 



142 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

known and much beloved A. S. Hayden, and an elder 
brother. The discourse, as yet well remembered by 
Bro. Hayden, was a highly practical one ; the speaker 
knew that he had some fine material before him, and 
he drove right at the hearts of his hearers. His 
chief points were, that God was ready to receive sin- 
ners ; that he had ever been willing, and that this 
willingness was made known through the gospel, 
which was fully proclaimed on the day of Pentecost, 
and that the door was there opened which none can 
shut. He urged instant obedience, declaring that 
God was ready and willing to meet and receive the 
sinner the moment he was ready to accept his offered 
grace. He preached again at night, and the house 
was densely crowded ; he called the young converts — 
five in number — to the front seat, and addressed 
them earnestly and tenderly with reference to the ob- 
ligations they were about to assume in making a pro- 
fession of religion and entering upon the duties of 
a new life. The next day, with heart all aflame, he 
again preached, if possible, with increased zeal and 
energy, invited others to obedience, and immersed 
twelve persons. The interest grew and increased ; 
many converts were made ; some opposition was ex- 
cited, but the meetings were continued for a week or 
more, and the results of those days and nights of 
faithful and earnest toil no tongue can tell. The 
youthful Hayden, who was one of its first-fruits, soon 
began to point others to the Savior. Scores and hun- 
dreds have been won to Christ by his earnest and 
faithful labor ; and though more than forty years have 
fled since then, he is still effectively pointing sinners 
to the Lamb of God. 



A PRIMITIVE SCENE. 1 43 

About the middle of June of the same year, Elders 
Scott and Bentley returned, and from the material 
gathered in by their previous labors, and the Baptists 
who were willing to take the Bible as the only guide, 
they constituted the church at Austintown. The 
whole number, was one hundred and ten, of whom 
about two-thirds were new converts. The exercises 
at the organization were marked by great impres- 
siveness and primitive simplicity. Under the bright 
June skies, with the green of earth under them, and 
the blue of heaven above, this company of true and 
happy believers, taking each other by the hand, formed 
a large circle, in an opening of which of about ten 
feet stood the preachers, under whose labors they had 
been brought to the knowledge and obedience of the 
truth, who counseled and exhorted them, as they had 
received Christ to walk in him ; and while the con- 
verts gave themselves to the Lord and to one 
another, with prayers and tears, the preachers com- 
mended the infant church to God and to the word 
of his grace. 

Sweet were the songs of that day ; earnest and 
tender the exhortations ; fervent and soul-moving the 
prayers : and dear memories of it yet linger in the 
minds of those who formed that company, and their 
hearts were never more glad than then. 

Under the teaching of Wm. Hayden the congrega- 
tion grew and prospered, and in a short time one of 
the early converts developed powers which soon 
ripened into a life of glorious toil and usefulness. 
This was John Henry, whose name is to this day a 
household word all over the Western Reserve. He 
was a Pennsylvania!! by birth, having been born in 



144 



LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



Washington County, in that State, in 1797. He was 
brought up under Presbyterian training, but never 
realized the power and beauty 'of Christ's gospel 
until he heard it presented by Elder Bentley ; his 
heart was won by it at once, and it never ceased to 
exercise its power over him until his end came in 
peace. 

He was at the time of his conversion a plain, in- 
dustrious farmer ; distinguished, however, by a ready 
natural wit and a musical talent, which was truly 
wonderful. On wind and stringed instruments he 
was a ready player, and sang with fine taste and 
feeling ; and even composed music with ease. When 
the Bible was substituted for creed and catechism, he 
eagerly devoted himself to its study, and with such 
success that few men ever became more familiar with 
its language. His knowledge of it was so full and 
accurate that he was said to have committed the 
whole inspired volume to memory, and was commonly 
spoken of as the Bible with a tongue in it, or the 
Walking Bible ; one thing, however, is certain, he 
could quote, without the least hesitancy or mistake, 
all the passages upon any given subject, at the same 
time giving chapter and verse, and could recite at 
will chapters from the Old or New Testament, from 
the Gospels, Epistles, Prophets, or Psalms, with the 
greatest facility ; and, in addition to this, he seemed 
to have a clear conception of the scope and meaning 
of the whole. He was quick at repartee, and the ob- 
ject of it had never to weary himself to find the point 
of the retort — that was always felt. 

On one occasion some rude fellows made a dis- 
turbance at a baptism when he was present, and he 



THE FARMER PREACHER. 1 45 

felt impelled to reprove them, which he did with such 
force and vigor, that many who were present discov- 
ered in him the elements of a successful public 
speaker ; the result was, that he was called upon to 
speak at the meetings of the church, and in a short 
time his success exceeded the most sanguine hopes 
of his friends. He did not seem to have thought 
himself possessed of any such ability ; but as soon 
as it became evident, he lost no opportunity of useful- 
ness. He supported himself by the labor of his 
hands ; and when his labors were demanded in the 
gospel field, he only required that a man should be 
put in his place to do the customary work on the 
farm, and he, in the meantime, would labor quite as 
faithfully in the pulpit and from house to house. 

His utterance was exceeding rapid, and yet at the 
same time perfectly distinct ; and the great power of 
his oratory was the clearness with which he set forth 
his views, and the deep and unaffected earnestness 
of his manners. He was well acquainted with the va- 
rious religious systems of the day, and in his exposure 
of departures from the Word of God and the substi- 
tution of human inventions, he often reminded his 
hearers of the prophets who reproved the Israelites 
for their departures from the law of their God. His 
powers rapidly developed with exercise, and his 
services were demanded to an extent beyond his 
utmost exertions — he was obliged, in a measure, to 
give up his farm life and devote himself to sowing 
the good seed of the Kingdom, which he did so suc- 
cessfully that many in whose hearts the good seed 
fell, to this day thank God for his faithful and earnest 
labors. 

13 



I46 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

In person he was tall, spare of flesh, and angular, 
but possessed of wonderful powers of endurance ; 
his garb was always of the very plainest, suggestive, 
indeed, of apostolic simplicity ; he was untiring in his 
labors, quick to decide, and prompt to act ; his in- 
fluence on the church and community was very de- 
cided ; and even now, though he has gone to his rest 
nearly thirty years ago, the surviving members of the 
church at Austintown still say, when special counsel 
and action are needed, " Oh ! how we miss John 
Henry !" 

He showed eminent ability in his conduct of the big 
meetings over which he at times was called to preside ; 
under his management an audience of from five to 
eight thousand would be kept in perfect order : a 
general could not have held his forces better in hand 
than he did the masses that would gather on those 
occasions. Nothing was omitted, nothing was forgot- 
ten : preserving order, singing, preaching, exhorting, 
filling appointments in every available place in a cir- 
cle of ten or fifteen miles — all was dispatched with 
ease. He spoke, and it was a word of command, and 
seldom failed in eliciting cheerful obedience. 

Time was precious ;- no opportunity was given for 
apology or excuse. At one of these meetings, when 
thirty or forty preachers were present, and it was de- 
sirable to have a few words from as many as possible, 
one who was called on began by saying, " Well, breth- 
ren, I do not know that I have any thing to say." 
" Very well," said Henry, " take your seat, brother," 
and called out for another, who was careful to avoid 
the rock of apology on which the other was wrecked. 

In preaching, he had a rare and happy command 



HENRY'S MENTAL AND MORAL TRALTS. I47 

of his resources ; he could generalize rapidly ; and 
this power, with his astonishing memory, enabled 
him to bring together from the various parts of 
Scripture, all that was said on a particular topic : and, 
indeed, his discourses often consisted almost exclu- 
sively of Scripture, in which the various passages 
were brought together in such a wa.y as to produce a 
very striking effect. He made the Bible its own 
interpreter ; and if he needed an illustration, the same 
volume furnished him with one admirably suited to 
the case in hand. 

On several occasions he took part in public debates, 
in which he was very skillful and successful — his suc- 
cess was doubtless brought about by the fact that he 
arrayed before his hearers all the Scripture evidence 
on the point in dispute — leaving nothing more to be 
said ; as to dispute his positions, would be to deny 
the sacred record. His mental and moral traits were 
all positive ; the sincerity of his profession was proved 
by his sterling integrity and purity of life. Among the 
common people, of whom he always regarded himself 
as one, he was held in the highest esteem ; they de- 
lighted to hear a man from their own ranks speak to 
them of the soul's interests in a manner plain, simple, 
and earnest, and which was the more powerful from 
the fact that he lived continually under the influence 
of those truths which he so earnestly urged upon 
them. He died in his prime, in the midst of his use- 
fulness, there being but an interval of a few days be- 
tween his active and efficient labors in the cause of 
his Master on earth and his rest and reward above. 

From this period for some time to come, it will be 
impossible to preserve the strict order of time in con- 



I48 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

sequence of the many changes in fields of labor, 
which were often as varied as the passing day. 
Morning often found the tireless Scott at one point, 
and evening at another, miles away. It was not un- 
common for him to occupy the court-house or school- 
house in the morning at the county seat,, address a 
large assembly in some great grove in the afternoon, 
and have the private dwelling, which gave him shelter, 
crowded with neighbors at night, to hear him before 
he sought his needed rest. Sometimes the interest 
would be continued until midnight ; and in those 
stirring times it was not unusual for those who, on 
such occasions, felt the power of the truth, to be 
baptized, before the morning dawned. For months 
together nearly every day witnessed new converts to 
the truth ; several ministers of various denominations 
fell in with the views which he presented with such 
force and clearness, and these in turn exerted their 
influence over their former flocks, and led them to 
embrace the views which had brought such comfort 
and peace to their own souls. 

While preaching at Hiram, Portage County, a Rev- 
olutionary colonel, eighty-four years of age, rose up 
in the midst of the congregation, and pointing with 
his finger to the parable of the laborers in the vine- 
yard, said to Mr. Scott* " Sir, shall I receive a 
penny ? it is the eleventh hour." " Yes," was the 
reply, " the Lord commands it, and you shall receive 
a penny." The audience was greatly affected, and 
the venerable soldier was forthwith enrolled in the 
army of the faith. 

Another gentleman, still living, whom the writer 
met but a short time since, says, that though a 



A MEETING /A r THE WOODS. 1 49 

Bible-reader, he had sought in vain for a church that 
taught as his Bible read. But riding along the public 
road one day, he s'aw a number of horses tied in the 
woods, a great crowd gathered and some one address- 
ing them. Without being aware of the character of 
the meeting, curiosity led him to turn aside and see ; 
when he came nearer he found that it was a religious 
meeting, and that the preacher was setting forth the 
gospel just as it had ever seemed, to him in his read- 
ings ; and before the speaker, who was none other 
than Walter Scott, had closed, he determined that 
that people should be his people, and their God his 
God, and to that resolve he has been true more than 
forty years. 

In several of his meetings about this time, Scott 
was helped by the presence and labors of Joseph 
Gaston, a preacher of the Christian connection, who 
was present at the Association the previous summer, 
and gave his voice in favor of the appointment of 
Scott as general evangelist. He was a young man, 
quite tall, with dark hair and eyes, and agreeable 
features, with a heart full of sympathy and a voice of 
great power. He and Scott were mutually attracted 
to each other, and their acquaintance resulted in a 
deep and strong attachment, which was only broken 
too soon by his early death. He was gentle and re- 
tiring in his manners, yet bold and earnest in setting 
forth the claims of his Master. He was highly gifted 
in exhortation, and his prayers seemed to be the 
natural outpouring of a warm and pious heart. Dif- 
fering in his religious views from Scott when they 
first met, he soon learned to regard the teaching of 
the Scriptures in the same light as his gifted friend, 



150 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT, 

who excelled most men of his time in a knowledge of 
and reverence for the sacred record. The beauty and 
order of the arrangement of its truths were made 
clearer than ever before ; and this new light he gladly 
accepted and rejoiced in the truth. 

Scott's acquaintance with Gaston often brought 
him into contact with the religious body of which he 
was a member ; and great numbers of them, some- 
times nearly entire congregations, at once accepted 
his views, for which they were already prepared by an 
abandonment of creeds, the rejection of all party 
names, and the adoption of the name Christian as ex- 
pressive of their allegiance to Christ. This religious 
body, it may be well to state, was not an offshoot of 
any one of the various religious parties of the day, 
but one composed, originally, of those who had broken 
off from the Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists, 
and united under the one name Christians, by which 
the followers of Jesus were anciently known. The 
acquaintance of these two men proved a great bless- 
ing and furtherance to the cause, but it was not of 
long continuance ; the career of Gaston proved to be 
a short one, but the end was in great peace. Elder 
Scott, after hearing of his death, thus wrote of him : 

"Joseph Gaston was a very remarkable man on several 
accounts. His innocence and sweet disposition endeared 
him to all his acquaintances; and his strong faith and ex- 
cellent talents made him a most acceptable minister in the 
church when his health permitted the exercise of his various 
gifts, for he had the gifts of teaching and exhorting in an 
eminent degree; and was, until he was seized with hemor- 
rhage at the lungs, a very good singer. 

" When he opened the Evangelists or Epistles and 



SCOTT S ESTIMATE OF GASTON. 151 

poured himself out on their sacred pages, no man of equal 
education excelled him ; but exhortation was his forte, and 
in this I never knew any man who equaled him. He exer- 
cised the most powerful influence over the congregation 
when he remonstrated, and with much variety of thought 
his exhortations were distinguished for unity in their sub- 
ject. 

"He accompanied me in 1827, soon after the restora- 
tion of the true gospel, and shared with me for about three 
weeks in the labors and difficulties of the onerous business 
of introducing to public notice the gospel of Christ as 
now held by this Reformation. 

"The circumstances which made him acquainted with 
the ancient gospel at that time are a little singular and 
worth relating. He visited Carthage about two years ago, 
and entertained Bro. Rogers' family one evening with a 
recital of his conversion to it, and brought again to mind 
things that had almost escaped recollection. 

11 1 had appointed a certain day in which to break bread 
with the Baptist Church at Salem. Bro. Gaston was a resi- 
dent of Columbiana County, and was at that time in the 
vicinity of Salem. The Baptist brethren regarded him as a 
good man and a true disciple ; but he was a Christian or 
Newlight, and contended for open communion — things 
which they greatly disliked. Before meeting, the principal 
brethren requested me to converse with him on the subject, 
saying they were sure I could convert him. 

"Accordingly I took him out in presence of them all ; 
but he gave me no time, being as impatient and undoiibt- 
ing on open communion as they were then on close com- 
munion. I told him, however, that the brethren had com- 
missioned me to convert him to their opinions, and smiled. 
He said he had come to convert me to his. 

"I then set before him the terms of the ancient gospel 
as I had arranged them, and told him that their dispute 
about communion was silly and unprofitable. He heard 



• 



152 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

me with delight. I appealed to the Scriptures, and he 
smiled; and soon, with a laugh, he exclaimed, 'It is all 
true ! and I believe every word of it, and will take you to 
a Christian brother who will receive it in a moment !' 

" After meeting I accompanied him to the house of said 
brother, living a mile and a half from the village ; and the 
man and his wife hearing it, and examining the Scriptures, 
received it with all readiness that same night ; so that on 
that day were brought over to the side of the gospel two 
excellent men, both laborers among the ' Christians.' 

" Bro. Gaston accompanied me to New Lisbon, and two 
or three other places ; but his health failed him at the end 
of about three weeks, and his place was supplied by James 
Mitchel, who accompanied me to Warren, where the gospel 
greatly succeeded. 

" Thus Bro. Gaston was the very first Christian minister 
who received the gospel after its restoration, and who 
argued for the remission of sins by baptism. His enfeebled 
health, however, never permitted him to labor much. He 
was immersed for remission at a general meeting held at 
Austintown two years after. He now rests with all the 
just until the resurrection. His life was righteous ; his 
death was glorious." 

The closing scene of this good man is thus de- 
scribed by one who was present : 

" Beloved Bro. Scott : Few persons will hear the cir- 
cumstance which I am about to relate with emotions such 
as you must feel. I grieve for a departed brother in the 
Lord ; you for a companion and fellow-laborer in the gos- 
pel, one who stood by you under circumstances the most 
trying and impressive, at a time when you alone, amidst all 
opposition, faced a frowning world. I allude to Bro. 
Joseph Gaston — he sleeps in peace — his sorrows are no 
more ! 



DEA TH OF JOSEPH GASTON. 1 5 3 

" Being aware of his approaching dissolution, he re- 
quested me to inform you of it. The sensations which his 
departure produced in me and all present can not be im- 
parted to others, nor can they ever be forgotten. It was, 
indeed, singularly impressive. 

"He was, as you know, predisposed to hemorrhage 
from the lungs ; his last illness commenced in this way. I 
was with him- from Thursday, 4th, until his death, which 
occurred on Saturday. 

"Before day I was called to his bedside. His glazed 
eye, cold extremities, laborious breathing, and feeble pulse, 
assured me that the lamp of life was nearly extinguished. 
He lay in this situation a length of time unable to speak, 
or lift his hands. While we expected every breath to be 
his last, suddenly, to the astonishment of all present, his 
countenance lighted up by a placid smile; he began to 
raise his cold and lifeless hands to heaven, and exclaimed : 
' Glory to God! O my Savior, thou hast delivered me!' 
His eyes, which Were set in death, sparkled with joy, and 
beamed with an expression which language can not de- 
scribe. After continuing these exclamations a few minutes 
his breathing became free, and his voice shrill and loud. 
He then addressed us thus : ' My friends, a dying man 
could not do as I am doing ; this strength is pot my own ; 
the hand of the Lord is in this matter : he has enabled me 
in this last extremity to bear testimony to the truth. The 
devil tempted me and tried me, but the Lord vanquished 
him and gave me the victory. This night I'll be with 
Jesus. Some people have called me a mud-dabbler, but 
that matters not to me ; judgment belongs to the Lord : 
he will recompense them. I plead for baptism — for 
the remission of sins in my lifetime, and I plead for it in 
death. 

" ' O sinners ! tremble for that which awaits you if you 
do not obey the Lord ! Let not tradition deceive you. I 



154 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

tried it, but found it to be a delusion. My eyes were 
opened by reading the Word of God. It means what it 
says ; believe and obey it, for nothing else will save you. 
Repent and be immersed in the name of Jesus Christ for the 
remission of sins, or God will sweep you off with the besom 
of destruction. Young people, tell your parents these 
things, and parents tell them to your children ; tell the 
neighborhood; tell the territory.' He then exhorted us 
to try, by some means, to get the people out to hear the 
gospel. He continued his speech in a loud and clear 
voice, during twenty minutes, using his hands with free- 
dom, and speaking with more animation than ever I heard 
him do in his usual state of health. When he ceased, his 
children were brought to him, whom he embraced affection- 
ately. His hands fell powerless by his side, his breathing 
became laborious as before, and he expired in ten minutes." 



SCO TTS VIE IVS MISUNDERSTOOD. 1 5 5 



CHAPTER X. 

Scott's views misunderstood — Bishop Hobart's views of baptism — Thomas 
Campbell visits the scene of Scott's labors — Meeting at Sharon, and 
results. 

AS might have been expected, the labors and suc- 
cess of Scott aroused great inquiry and opposi- 
tion, and the wildest rumors were circulated with 
regard to the course he pursued, the great peculiarity 
of which was, that it differed widely from that which 
had hitherto been the rule in all attempts at conver- 
sion. Many supposed that, in connecting baptism 
in some way with the remission of sins, that he at- 
tributed to water a virtue kindred to the blood of 
Christ, and therefore concluded that all the sinner 
had to do was to be immersed, while he really re- 
garded it as an act of obedience expressive of perfect 
trust in Christ for pardon, as an acceptance of the 
offer made in the gospel to all who truly believed and 
turned away from their sins. 

The Anxious-seat of the Presbyterians, the Mourn- 
ing-bench of the Methodists, and the Experience of 
the Baptists, all had the same object in view, and had 
usurped the place, in a great measure, of Christian 
baptism. This was admitted very near the times of 
which we write, by the Rev. Dr. Finney, an eminent 
Congregationalist, in urging the necessity of the 
anxious-seat to bring the mind up to the acting point, 
in the following language : " The Church has always 



156 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

felt it necessary to have something of this kind to 
answer this purpose. In the days of the apostles 
baptism answered this purpose. The gospel was 
preached to the people, and then all who were willing 
to be on the side of Christ were called on to be bap- 
tized. It held the precise place that the anxious- 
seat does now, as a public manifestation of their 
determination to be Christians." The Rev. Doctor, 
with singular unconsciousness of the destructive 
nature of his argument, condemns those who would 
stand up, or lean their heads on the pew before them, 
to signify their willingness to be Christians, as at- 
tempting to evade their duty by substituting these 
acts for that of coming to the anxious-seat, forgetting 
that he had made the admission, virtually, that com- 
ing to the anxious-seat was an evasion of baptism, 
which was required under the teachings of the 
apostles. 

Elder Scott, some time after this, explained his 
views of the nature of baptism in some remarks 
made on the following extract from Bishop Hobart, 
of New York, in regard to this matter. The words 
of the Bishop are : 

"In this church the body which derives life, strength, 
and salvation from Christ its head, baptism was instituted 
as the sacred rite of admission. In this regenerating or- 
dinance, fallen man is born again from a state of con- 
demnation to a state of grace. He obtains a title to the 
presence of the Holy Spirit ; to the forgiveness of sins ; 
to all those precious and immortal blessings which the 
blood of Christ purchased. 

"Wherever the gospel is promulgated, the only mode 
by which we can be admitted into covenant with God ; 



BISHOP HO BAB T'S VIE WS. 1 5 7 

the only mode through which we can obtain a title to 
those blessings and privileges which Christ has purchased 
for his mystical body, the church, is the sacrament of bap- 
tism. Repentance, faith, and obedience, will not of them- 
selves be effectual to our salvation. We may sincerely re- 
pent of our sins, heartily believe the gospel ; we may walk 
in the path of holy obedience, but until we enter into cov- 
enant with God by baptism, and ratify our vows of al- 
legiance and duty at the holy sacrament of the Supper — 
commemorate the mysterious sacrifice of Christ — we can 
not assert any claim to salvation." 

Upon which Scott comments as follows : 

"The excellent Bishop makes baptism the rite of ad- 
mission to the Christian church, regeneration, a title to 
remission and the Holy Spirit, and to all the precious 
things of Christ. He says it is the only mode of covenant- 
ing with God ; the* only mode of obtaining Christian bless- 
ings and privileges, without which we can not assert any 
claim to salvation. Now, in all this where is it that the 
Bishop is at fault ? Is not baptism the rite of admission ? 
Or are men in the Christian church antecedently to their 
baptism ? Does not the Son of the Eternal protest that, 
unless we are ' born of water and spirit 'we can not enter 
into his kingdom? And is this regeneration which the 
Bishop speaks of a higher and more sacred mystery in the 
Christian institute than 'being born again?' Or are they 
not the same thing ? Surely they are the very same thing. 
Does any one know any other mode appointed for poor 
sinful, fallen man, to covenant with his God, and obtain a 
right to the privileges of Christianity ? We know none ; 
and believe that, when preceded by faith and repentance, 
baptism is all that the Bishop says it is; and with the 
bishop we also believe, that without it faith and repentance 
do not warrant a man in the presence of God ' to assert 



158 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

any claim to salvation.' Moreover, we believe that bap- 
tism without faith and repentance is just as unavailing and 
useless as faith and repentance are without it. These three 
things God has joined together, and no man may put 
asunder or disorder them." 

And yet for teaching what the great majority of the 
Christian world admit, in theory at least, and what is 
taught in the Word of God most clearly, he was rep- 
resented as the author of an hitherto unheard-of and 
soul- destroying heresy. These rumors reached the 
ears of his friend and fellow-laborer in the cause of 
religious reform, Alexander Campbell, who fearing 
that Mr. Scott might have been carried by his en- 
thusiastic nature beyond the bounds of prudence, 
sent his father, a man of rare wisdom and judgment, 
to find out the true state of the case. This vener- 
able and pious man visited the scene of Scott's labors 
in the spring of 1828, and, after carefully observing 
the course he pursued, sent the following account of 
it to his son : 

"I perceive that theory and practice in religion, as well 
as in other things, are matters of distinct consideration. 
It is one thing to know concerning the art of fishing — for 
instance, the rod, the line, the hook, and the bait, too ; 
and quite another thing to handle them dextrously when 
thrown into the water, so as to make it take. We have 
long known the former (the theory), and have spoken and 
published many things correctly concerning the ancient 
gospel, its simplicity and perfect adaptation to the present 
state of mankind, for the benign and gracious purposes of 
his immediate relief and complete salvation ; but I must 
confess that, in respect to the direct exhibition and appli- 
cation of it for that blessed purpose, I am at present for the 



T CAMPBELL VISITS SCOTT. 1 59 

first time upon the ground where the thing has appeared 
to be practically exhibited to the proper purpose. ' Com- 
pel them to come in,' saith our Lord, ' that my house may- 
be filled.'" 

With regard to Scott's mode of obtaining and sep- 
arating disciples, he added : 

"Mr. Scott has made a bold push to accomplish this 
object, by simply and boldly stating the ancient gospel, 
and insisting upon it ; and then by putting the question 
generally and particularly to males and females, old and 
young. Will you come to Christ and be baptized for the 
remission of your sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit ? 
Don't you believe this blessed gospel? Then come away. 
This elicits a personal conversation ; some confess faith in 
the testimony, beg time to think ; others consent, give 
their hands to be baptized as soon as convenient ; others 
debate the matter friendly ; some go straight to the water, 
be it day or night, and upon the whole none appear of- 
fended." 

Fully approving all that he heard and saw, the 
elder Campbell spent several months in Scott's field 
of labor, and most heartily co-operated with him, and 
contributed much to his success, as will appear in the 
sequel. 

The next scene of the evangelical labors of Elder 
Scott was at Sharon, a small village in Mercer 
County, Pennsylvania, situated on the Shenango 
River, and almost on the line between that State 
and the portion of Ohio in which the principles of 
the Reformation had lately spread so rapidly. The 
Baptist Churches at Warren and Hubbard, only a few 
miles distant, had embraced the new views almost in 



l60 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

a body, so generally, indeed, that both houses of 
worship passed quietly into the hands of the Dis- 
ciples ; and in the case of Warren, as previously 
noted, not only the greater part of the congregation, 
but the preacher also accepted the truth so ably and 
eloquently urged by Scott, and became himself an 
earnest and successful advocate of the same. Some 
of the Sharon Baptists had heard of the great change 
which had taken place in the two sister churches ; 
some of the members had even gone so far as to 
visit them, and could find no well-founded objections 
to what they had heard stigmatized as heresy ; nay, 
it seemed to them strangely like gospel truth ; and 
some of them went so far as to sit down at the 
Lord's Table with those self-same heretics. 

Prominent among these was John McCleary, at 
that time verging upon three-score and ten. He had 
been a member of the church at Tubermore, Ireland, 
which so long had enjoyed the labors of the widely- 
known Alexander Carson, as was also his son George, 
who was accustomed to teach the Scriptures pub- 
licly. His son Hugh, a clear-headed and honest 
thinker, had united with the Baptists in this country, 
but held views greatly in advance of theirs. Such an 
element in the church of course soon made itself felt. 
The Scriptures were closely searched, and the light 
began to spread. Suspicion was aroused — was the 
hated heresy about to break out among them and 
destroy their peace ? The McClearys, father and 
son, with several others, were soon marked men ; the 
views they held were assailed and loudly condemned 
under the odious name of Campbellism, when some 
one suggested that, as it was not the custom to con- 



SCO TT AND BENTL E Y INVITED TO PRE A CH. 1 6 1 

demn. without a hearing in ancient times, they had 
better send for the public advocates of the new doc- 
trine and learn the best or worst at once. This 
counsel prevailed. It was decided to invite Scott 
and Bentley to preach at Sharon, and as soon as it 
was decided, Hugh McCleary mounted his horse and 
rode to Warren to deliver the invitation and to urge 
its acceptance. The preachers came ; in a day or 
two Bentley returned, leaving Scott to continue the 
meeting, who preached every night for three weeks. 
Curiosity was aroused, but soon a deeper interest 
began to prevail. Some of his hearers having the 
Word of God presented more clearly than they had 
ever heard it before, began to inquire, " Men and 
brethren, what shall we do ?" The inspired answer 
was given, and, in response to the gospel invitation 
faithfully and affectionately given, several persons 
presented themselves and were immediately, on the 
simple profession of their faith in Jesus as the Son 
of God, immersed in the Shenango River. 

This was a new and unprecedented course for that 
place and time ; and yet the preaching, which was 
mainly from the Acts of the Apostles, seemed so 
much like the reading of that book, and the practice 
of Elder Scott in immersing forthwith those who 
confessed their faith in the Savior, was so accordant 
with the examples found in the inspired volume, that 
no one seemed to think strange of what the Word 
of God seemed so clearly to warrant. 

After Elder Scott had left, the church made the 

discovery that the converts immersed by him, although 

they had obeyed the express teachings of Scripture, 

had failed to conform to the usages of the Baptist 

14 



1 62 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

Church ; they had not appeared before a church- 
meeting ; they had given in no experience, and it 
was decided that they. could not be received into the 
church. 

But there was another serious trouble that could 
not be so easily disposed of. They could keep out 
the new converts, who had never been formally ad- 
mitted to the church ; but what was to be done with 
those already in the church, who had received with 
gladness the preaching of Bro. Scott as the truth of 
God. Some of these were the most influential mem- 
bers, and, moreover, were tolerant of the views held 
by the church. As they had formerly held the same, 
they desired, of course, that the rest should see as 
they did ; but they did not attempt to force their 
views upon the church ; they desired to be permitted 
to hold them in peace, however, but at the same time 
did not want to be bound by the creed and church 
articles. The truth had made them free, and it was 
impossible to submit to such yokes of bondage. All 
this class sympathized with the new converts, who 
had been refused admission into the church. In 
their view, if the Lord, as they believed, had received 
them, why should the church reject whom he had ac- 
cepted ? 

Those who were still attached to Baptist views 
were of a different spirit ; those who had embraced 
the new views, which, in their esteem, were rank 
heresy, must either yield them or depart : the same 
church could not be the home of those who differed 
so widely. This seemed to them a bitter alternative ; 
and, while they were in doubt what course they were 
to pursue, measures were taken to drive them to the 



ELDER CAMPBELL SENT FOR. 1 63 

course they were anxious to avoid. As a last resort, 
it was determined to send for Elder Thomas Camp- 
bell, whose age, experience, and truly Christian spirit, 
it was hoped, would be of great service in allaying 
the troubles by which the church was distracted. He 
came a week or two before the meeting of the As- 
sociation, or the June meeting, as it was called. With 
apostolic zeal, tenderness, and affection, this godly 
man labored for peace, urging the reception of 
the new converts, who had deemed they were obey- 
ing God when they had yielded to his truth, and 
pleading with the church to let the Word of God, and 
not the Articles of Faith, be the bond of union. For 
three weeks he expostulated, besought, and prayed 
them to be reconciled, but all in vain. 

On the Thursday on which the June meeting began, 
a number of preachers, mostly opposed to the views 
held by Scott and his fellow-laborers, were present, 
at a church-meeting, for the purpose of deciding all 
the matters at issue. The case of the new converts 
was brought up, and it was decided not to receive 
them ; and then followed the case of those who had 
favored the new teaching. Among these, George 
Bentley, brother of the pastor of the Baptist Church 
at Warren, who, with most of his flock, had dis- 
carded the creed and church articles and come over 
to the Bible ground, and the younger McCleary, were 
most prominent, and the propriety of excluding them 
was discussed. 

The elder McCleary was mentioned as having iden- 
tified himself with the obnoxious party, but it was 
concluded to spare him on account of his age and 
the influence he possessed in the community, as all 



164 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

parties regarded him as a good man. They said : 
" Father McCleary, we regard you as a good Christian 
man ; and though you have, in a measure, adopted 
the views, and even broken bread with those who 
have departed from the Baptist faith, we regard you 
as having been led away by your son and some 
younger men ; but we want you to stay with us : we 
have confidence in you yet." The old man arose, 
and said, with great emotion : " Brethren, I can not 
accept your offer ; if you reject my brethren I 
must go with them, for they are better men than I 
am. 

On Friday they met again, the venerable Thomas 
Campbell urging them to bury their differences and 
live together in peace, but the breach could not be 
healed ; and on the next morning all who went to 
the church saw over the door the inscription, "Let 
no Campbellite put his foot over this threshhold !" 
and all felt now that the crisis had come. Those for 
whom the notice was intended wisely forbore to enter, 
as that would only be to inflame those who were 
already too much excited ; and yet to be thus 
rudely thrust out of the house in which they had 
worshiped for years, was hard to bear ; but they re- 
membered that it was all because they had stood up 
meekly, yet firmly, for the Word of God in its purity, 
and they were comforted. 

In the meantime Elders Scott and Bentley had ar- 
rived, and, as their friends had been virtually ex- 
cluded from the house of worship, they felt that it 
would be imprudent for them to intrude. 

The matter soon was noised abroad in the com- 
munity, the greater portion of which sympathized 



PREACHING IN A BARN. 1 65 

with those who had been so rudely treated ; and this 
sympathy soon assumed a definite form. 

Mr. Daniel Budd, not a member of any church, had 
a large barn which he fitted up and seated on Satur- 
day, and offered for the use of Scott and Bentley. 
On the following day a large concourse of people 
gathered to hear them, and the circumstances by 
which they were surrounded inspired the preachers 
with even more than wonted zeal and earnestness. 

They met again on the following day, and a new 
congregation was organized, consisting of seventeen 
or eighteen persons, who had been members of the 
Baptist Church, and of the new converts who had 
been baptized by Scott at his first visit — in all, 
making nearly thirty. To these, additions were made 
rapidly, so that in a very shorty time the new church 
had a membership of one hundred ; so that the per- 
secution which they had endured turned out to the 
advancement of the gospel. 

No sooner, however, had they effected an organiza- 
tion than the Baptist Church formally excluded all 
who, from among them, had entered into the new in- 
terest. After the separation the bitterness of the 
Baptists increased, and they exercised a jealous 
watchfulness over their members lest any of them 
should become tainted with the new doctrine. They 
were not long in finding occasion for the exhibition 
of their intolerant and persecuting spirit. 

Benjamin Reno and James Morford were among 
the most prominent members they had left, the for- 
mer a deacon, the latter the clerk of the church. The 
wives of both of these had met with the Disciples at 
Hubbard, and had participated with them in the 



1 66 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

Lord's Supper. This was too grievous to be borne, 
and at the next church-meeting the case of the 
offending parties was brought up. Such a flagrant 
departure from Baptist usages and views admitted of 
no excuse, and a resolution was passed to exclude 
from their fellowship all who should commune with 
the Disciples. James Morford, the clerk of the 
church, threw down his pen and declared that he 
would make record of no such ungodly act ; and the 
deacon, Benjamin Reno, arose and declared that he 
could no longer remain with them after such a wicked 
and unchristian course, and left them and united with 
the Disciples, who received him on the ground of his 
well-known character and well-ordered life. 

James Morford, however, remained, determined, if 
possible, to obtain a letter of dismission from the 
church ; but when they found that he, too, was re- 
solved to leave them, they not only refused him a 
letter, but excluded him from their fellowship. This 
threw him into great trouble, as he regarded it as a 
great disgrace to be excluded from the church, and 
feared, moreover, that his exclusion would prove a 
barrier to his uniting with the Disciples. As he was 
on his way home, greatly dejected at the turn which 
matters had taken, he was passing the farm of James 
McCleary, one of the Disciples, who was at work 
near the road, and hailed him, and desired to know 
what "had been done at the church-meeting. He 
told his story, and the injurious treatment he had re- 
ceived at the hands of his former brethren ; but as 
soon as he came to his exclusion, McCleary cried out, 
" James Morford, fall down on your knees and give 
thanks to God that you are set free from such a 



THE NEW CHURCH PROSPERS. 1 67 

people!" He found his exclusion 5 to be no barrier 
in the way of his reception by the Disciples, as his 
character was known to be blameless, and his exclu- 
sion to be the result of religious bigotry. 

The new church continued to grow in the favor of 
God and the people, who knew that they had been 
called to suffer for the truth's sake. They continued 
to meet for some time, like the ancient church, from 
house to house, the Lord adding frequently to their 
number. Elder Scott, who had been with them in 
the day of their trouble, visited them in their pros- 
perity, and greatly strengthened them by his earnest 
and efficient labors, and was himself greatly en- 
couraged to see their growth in numbers and the fear 
of the Lord, so that he could adopt the saying of the 
beloved apostle, " I have no greater joy than to see 
my children walk in truth !" Nor was the effect of 
his labors a transient one, for though his voice has 
long ceased to be heard on the banks of the Shen- 
ango, and many of those whom he called into the 
kingdom of Christ have departed in glorious hope, 
the cause he plead is still alive and flourishing. 

Before his death a commodious and substantial 
brick chapel was erected by the congregation which 
he aided to organize in the barn of a non-professor. 
Very many of its members have removed to the West, 
as many as fifty having left in a single season ; 
but they have carried with them the truth and 
planted it wherever they have gone : and even now 
some of its members are faithfully and successfully 
advocating the claims of the religion of Jesus, and 
bringing many into the fold of the Good Shepherd ! 



1 68 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



CHAPTER XI. 

» 

Deerfield — Scott's visit — Amos Allerton the skeptic — Conversion of Aylette 
Raines. 

DEERFIELD, Portage County, was noted for the 
spirit of earnest religious inquiry which pre- 
vailed there for years before Scott visited that place 
and gathered so rich a harvest. This was the home 
of Jonas Hartzell and many others, who afterwards 
aided so much to spread the truth in that region. 

As the result of the investigation of religious mat- 
ters in that community, a little society was formed for 
the express purpose of examining the Scriptures, 
and, if possible, arriving at something like common 
ground. This little band was composed of Cornelius 
P. Finch, who was a Methodist preacher, and his 
wife ; Ephraim P. Hubbard, an active Methodist, and 
his wife, who was a Baptist ; Samuel McGowan, a 
Baptist, and his wife, who was a Presbyterian ; Peter 
Hartzell, a Presbyterian, and his wife, a Baptist ; Jonas 
Hartzell, a Presbyterian, and his wife, a Methodist ; and 
Gideon Hoadly, an active and venerable member of the 
Methodist Church, and a few others. Differing, as 
they did, scarcely any two of the same family being 
of the same religious faith, they all agreed that the 
New Testament was right, and that it was safe to re- 
ceive whatever was recorded there. The sadly di- 
vided state in which they at first found themselves 
was soon discovered to be the effect of partyism, and 



SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES, 1 69 

the measurable unity which they soon attained from 
an honest examination of the Word of God, they at- 
tributed rightly to the power of the truth. 

The questions examined by this little company were 
of vital importance — such as the intelligibility of the 
Scriptures, their all-sufficiency for the purposes of 
enlightenment, the government of the church, the 
conversion of the sinner, and the perfection of the 
saint. They soon reached the conclusion that the 
Scriptures were intelligible, for they could not con- 
ceive how they could be a revelation from God unless 
they were adapted to the common intelligence of 
mankind ; and, if thus adapted to man's wants and 
capabilities, they felt that in them they had an in- 
fallible and all-sufficient guide. Having settled upon 
this, they .were soon able rightly to decide other ques- 
tions of importance growing out of the divided state 
of the religious world, such as, " How does faith 
come ?" " Which is first in order, faith or repent- 
ance ?" *' Can the sinner believe and obey the gos- 
pel without supernatural aid ?" " Is the Mosaic dis- 
pensation still in force ?" " Who is a proper subject, 
and what the mode and design of baptism ?" " Should 
the sinner be baptized on a confession of his faith in 
Christ, or an approved experience ?" These were 
questions of grave import, when the different and 
conflicting teachings under which they had severally 
been brought up, are taken into the account ; but the 
old chart led them to a safe, quiet harbor. 

In the various families composing this little band, 

Finch and his wife were the only ones who agreed ; 

but when the " old paths " were found, it was easy 

for all to walk and dwell together in peace and unity. 

15 



* 



170 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

One of the members — Ephraim Hubbard — had 
stipulated, on uniting with the Methodist Church 
years before, that he should not be bound by the 
Book of Discipline ; but baptism by immersion had 
been denied him by several ministers, on the ground 
that it would amount to a denial of- sprinkling, to 
which he had been subjected in infancy. Hearing 
that a baptism was to take place some miles distant 
by what he deemed to be the only scriptural mode, 
he took a change of clothing and started for the ap- 
pointed place ; on reaching it he found his brother, 
who was a Methodist preacher, there, and informed 
him of his purpose ; his brother said, " You can not 
be more dissatisfied with your baptism than I am 
with mine ; and if I had a change of clothing I would 
go with you." That want was soon supplied, and 
when the invitation was given for the candidates to 
present themselves, the two brothers were the first 
to do so. 

He still retained his membership in the Methodist 
Church, but the change which was continually going 
on in his mind in consequence of increasing light, 
soon led the preacher who was over the small charge 
of which he was a member, to declare that Hubbard 
and all those who agreed with him were not Method- 
ists, as they acknowledged no other rule of faith and 
practice save the Holy Scriptures ; and when his con- 
gregation — about eighteen in number — were present, 
he drew the line between those who sympathized with 
him and the church and those who had adopted the 
views entertained by Hubbard by asking all who were 
Methodists to rise ; five did so, and thirteen stood up 
for the Word of God. 



VISIT OF BENTL EY A ND B OS IVOR Til 1 7 1 

These, of course, had the sympathy of all in the 
community who had become dissatisfied with the 
teaching of the various religious parties with which 
they were associated ; and the way having been pre- 
pared by the meetings previously described, and the 
discussions and investigations which had taken place 
among them, they met to see if some way could not 
be devised by which they all could be united in a 
New Testament church. The chief difficulty was 
that they had no model among them that they could 
safely imitate ; but having heard that there was a 
church at Braceville on a strictly Bible foundation, 
Hubbard and Finch paid a visit to the church there, 
and, to their great joy, found that it was true. 

They invited Marcus Bosworth, who was the teacher 
of the congregation, to visit and preach to them ; he 
came, bringing with him Adamson Bentley, who, with 
his congregation at Warren, had but a short time be- 
fore accepted New Testament views, and abandoned 
all human creeds ; and, under the teaching of these 
godly men, all who had not been immersed received 
that ordinance and were organized into a gospel 
church ; and Finch, who had preached among the 
Methodists, was formally set apart to the work of the 
ministry. 

This little band grew and prospered rapidly. 
Nearly all the men became public speakers ; among 
them was Jonas Hartzell, who became a most zealous 
and efficient public laborer both with tongue and 
pen ; and it was a current saying through the West- 
ern Reserve that all the male members of the Deer- 
field church were preachers. 

The visit of Elders Bentley and Bosworth opened 



172 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

the way for a visit from Scott, which was attended 
with great success and permanent results. 

More than forty years after that visit these lines 
were penned at the scene of these labors amid those 
who never will forget him, who threw so much light 
on their pathway, and who expect, at no distant day, 
to meet him in the better land. 

A sister Allerton had been at Canton, Stark 
County, for some time for medical treatment, and on 
her return home was informed by her sister of the 
religious changes which had taken place during her 
absence. She told of the few disciples who had 
begun to meet there, and said : " I have been to hear 
them, and O sister ! they reminded me of the twelve 
who followed our Lord when on earth ; they are plain, 
pious men ; they talk just as the Bible reads : they 
surely are the people of God !" , 

One of the most prominent persons in the com- 
munity was Amos Allerton, a natural ruler of men, 
tall, erect, sinewy, of strong mind and clear judg- 
ment, which, in a measure, compensated for lack of 
educational advantages ; a man of noble impulses, 
kind and helpful, yet severely just. In religious mat- 
ters he was skeptical, rendered so by the discords and 
conflicting views of the various religious bodies ; he 
could not imagine how a system could be divine 
which abounded in contradictions ; how God could 
send men, jas was then claimed, to preach doctrines 
subversive of each other : he supposed that the Bible 
must teach what the preachers of various denomina- 
tions claimed that it did, and hence rejected the 
Bible. He had attempted to be religious according 
to the popular theories of the day, but they did not 



■AN INFIDEL CONVERTED. 1 73 

satisfy either his mind or heart ; he could not endure 
to walk in doubt or darkness, or rest his hopes upon 
transient feeling or a peradventure ; he desired to 
feel the rock under his feet ; but the human theories 
to which he was directed were as uncertain and 
unsafe as the desert sands. 

It was noised abroad that Walter Scott would 
preach at a private house in the vicinity, and, as his 
fame had preceded him, a large concourse assembled 
to hear him ; among the throng was Amos Allerton, 
not at all favorably impressed by what he heard of 
the preacher and his new doctrine, but on the con- 
trary, disposed to criticise and cavil. He had been 
told that Scott preached a water salvation (as his views 
of baptism for the remission of sins were termed), 
and on that bright morning on his way to hear the 
strange preacher, he had stopped at a clear brook to 
quench his thirst, and as he did so, he said in scorn 
and disdain : " Can this element wash away sins ?" 
Reaching the appointed place, he found in the 
preacher not a glib and noisy religious polemic, but 
a meek, earnest, and gifted advocate of the pure and 
simple gospel of Jesus Christ, which he unfolded with 
a clearness, tenderness, and earnestness that he had 
never witnessed before. His skepticism yielded be- 
fore the array of truth which was presented, and his 
heart was touched with the love of Him who came to 
save a lost, world. He saw that the gospel call was 
not to baptism only, but to an abandonment of sin to 
an earnest, true, and pure life. He listened for hours, 
which scarcely seemed more than minutes, every sen- 
tence convincing his judgment and appealing to his 
heart. The preacher closed with an appeal to those 



174 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

who believed the truth to avow their faith publicly in 
the Sou of God. 

Allerton started forward ; Ephraim Hubbard, a 
faithful and earnest disciple, saw the movement and 
trembled, thinking that he was advancing to make 
some disturbance ; but as he came nearer, he saw 
eyes not flashing with the light of rebuke and con- 
troversy, but melted to tenderness and tears, and 
with a shout of joy he welcomed him gladly. With 
profound earnestness he confessed his faith in the 
Savior of mankind, and was the same day buried with 
Christ by baptism ; and the sun on that day set on 
few happier men than Amos Allerton. Nor was this 
change a transient one, but a change of the entire 
current of his thoughts and life ; he soon began to 
teach others to walk in the way upon which he him- 
self had entered. His rare, clear sense and spotless 
integrity soon made his influence felt, and a little 
practice sufficed to enable him to present his thoughts 
with a vigorous, common sense, and an earnestness 
that it was difficult to resist. 

Grateful for his own escape from the dominion of 
doubt and chilling unbelief, he began to point out the 
way of emancipation to others. The cross and its 
bleeding Victim to move the heart, and the teachings 
of Jesus to direct the life, were used with wonderful 
power. His fame spread ; large audiences gathered 
to hear the plain farmer, so suddenly transformed 
into a preacher of righteousness ; and the curiosity 
which brought them to hear was, in many cases, 
changed into a deep and abiding interest in the great 
themes he presented ; and scores and hundreds were, 
through his labors, brought to a knowledge of the 



PREJUDICE DISARMED. 1 75 

way of life. Though destitute of the aids of learn- 
ing, he was a vigorous and original thinker. His 
Bible was his theological library ; and from nature 
and society he drew illustrations which all could un- 
derstand ; while his zeal, his earnestness, and his life, 
all rendered his teaching searching, impressive, and 
convincing. 

Living yet in a vigorous old age, the moisture will 
gather in his eye, and his voice tremble with emotion 
as he speaks of Scott, who, nearly half a century 
since, helped him out of the perils of infidelity, and 
pointed out the true pathway on which the true light 
shineth, even the light of God. 

Another incident connected with Scott's first visit 
to Deerfield is worthy of a place here. He presented 
himself first at the residence of E. Hubbard and 
offered to preach if a suitable place could be pro- 
cured. He immediately went to consult Finch, who 
was not in favor of Scott's preaching, saying it would 
ruin them. This was in consequence of the rumors 
that were afloat with regard to his eccentricities and 
the misrepresentations of his teachings. Hubbard 
insisted, however, that Scott must preach, and the 
Methodist church was procured. Finch was present, 
and Scott had not completed his discourse before he 
was convinced that he could sit at his feet in matters 
pertaining to a knowledge of New Testament Christ- 
ianity. Hubbard himself soon became a public 
teacher ; and so prudent and careful was he, that a 
Lutheran minister of fine abilities and education, 
after listening to him, said : " Mr. Hubbard, I came 
here to criticise you and point out your errors." 
" Why do you not do so then ?" he asked. u Be- 



1/6 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

cause," he replied, " you have said nothing but that 
which I feel compelled warmly to approve." And it 
was not very long after that this same minister gave 
up his place as pastor of a large congregation, his 
salary, reputation, and all that could bind a man to a 
powerful and influential religious party, to receive 
baptism at the hands of a plain farmer, who, with the 
Bible in his hands, could teach Christianity as it came 
from the apostles of the Lamb. 

Hubbard, after a long, honorable, and useful career, 
still lives at the age of fourscore, the days of his 
active usefulness past, but waiting patiently for his 
change in glorious hope, trusting to say with his 
latest breath, " Thanks be to God that giveth us the 
victory !" 

Daniel Hayden, now living at Deerfield, traveled 
much with Scott in those stirring times, retains «many 
vivid and pleasant recollections of him. When he 
first saw him, though entirely ignorant as to who he 
was, he set him down as one who could make good a 
claim to greatness. Scott was a rapid rider, and 
when remonstrated with on the matter justified him- 
self by the plea that the King's business required 
haste. As they rode along one day, he said : " Bro. 
Hayden, I was a grown man before I ever saw a full- 
grown forest tree. I was brought up in the great city 
of Edinburgh and knew nothing of the country and 
forest, and the various kinds of trees ; and now, brother, 
I want you to tell me the name of that noble tree by 
the roadside." " That," said Hayden, " is a white- 
oak." "Hold my horse," said Scott" — and, leaping 
to the ground, ran to the tree, and in a little while 
marked all its peculiarities, plucked one of its leaves, 



PROFUSE BENEVOLENCE. 1 77 

imprinted its form on his memory, and that species 
was known forever after. This was frequently re- 
peated when he saw a tree with the name of which 
he was unacquainted, and as Hayden was an expert 
woodsman he made rapid progress, and was soon as 
able to distinguish and name the different growths as 
his instructor. 

In the freedom of their social intercourse, Hayden 
once, ventured the remark that his charity was too 
profuse for one of his limited means, and that it 
should never be carried to the extent of causing in- 
convenience to his own household. At this he 
winced a little, for it was true — his kindness of heart 
was apt to make him forget all considerations of pru- 
dence ; for, though no man could love his family more 
tenderly than did he, yet he could not help giving 
whatever he had to the nearest needy object, leaving 
himself often in as great need as the object of his 
benevolence lately had been. In a word, the needs 
of others ever seemed to him greater than his own. 
It was not in his nature to say no when he had a 
dollar in his purse or a garment beyond what he had 
on, when others needed one or the other or both 
Well knowing this weakness, if weakness it were, 
Hayden said : " Bro. Scott, you ought not to handle 
a dollar ; whatever means you have ought to be in 
the hands of some one with less sympathy and more 
judgment than yourself, to manage for you, and see 
that your own are well cared for before others are 
helped. Instead of becoming offended, he replied 
pleasantly : " Bro. Hayden, I believe you are right ; 
you are a good manager, a man of thrift and pru- 
dence — will you do me this service ?" " I will," was 



178 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

the reply. " You are the very man for the work," 
said Scott, "and I will hold you to it." 

While Scott was on a visit to Father Hayden's, 
near Youngstown, it was announced that Lawrence 
Greatrake, a Baptist preacher, notorious for his oppo- 
sition to the Disciples, would preach in the vicinity. 
Scott determined to go and hear him, but fearing 
that he might be provoked to a reply by a man who 
was coarse and rude in his assaults, the family. per- 
suaded him not to go. He started off, but at part- 
ing told them to be sure to go and hear the Great 
Rake. After going some distance he changed his 
mind, rode to the place of meeting, and instead of 
going in went to an open window in the rear of the 
building, close to the pulpit. The preacher took the 
pulpit, and in his prayer, as preparatory to his medi- 
tated onslaught on the Disciples, said : " O Lord, do 
thou restrain or remove those wolves who are going 
about in sheep's clothing, scattering the flock and 
destroying the lambs." At this point Scott, in a voice 
that could be heard by all present, uttered a hearty 
"amen," which so disconcerted the preacher that it 
was with difficulty that he could finish his prayer. 

It was in the early part of the year 1828 that Ay- 
lette Raines, a Universalist preacher, a young man of 
fine abilities, formed an acquaintance with Scott, the 
result of which was the abandonment of his former 
views and embracing and successfully advocating 
those set forth by "his new and gifted friend. Raines 
had heard of the new preacher, and also the current 
but distorted rumors with regard to his teaching, 
and his curiosity being aroused he sought an oppor- 
tunity of hearing him, intending, if possible, to draw 



A UNI VERSA LIST CONVINCED. 1 79 

him into a discussion, supposing the views of Scott 
to be as vulnerable as those of other religious bodies, 
which, on account of their partial, one-sided, and even 
contradictory nature, he found but little difficulty in 
overthrowing. 

The first discourse he heard from Scott was in 
his best vein, clear, convincing, scriptural — so much 
so that Raines saw in it much to admire and noth- 
ing to condemn ; and when at the close, as was 
his custom, he invited any one present to make 
any remarks he might think proper, Raines arose 
and expressed his great pleasure and warm ap- 
proval of all that he had heard. After this he went 
to hear Scott frequently, not to cavil but to learn, for 
he soon perceived that he had no particular system 
of religious philosophy to advance, but set forth Bible 
truth with a vigor and simplicity that was entirely 
new. 

The system advocated by Raines did not deny 
the future punishment of the wicked, but set forth 
that it would be limited in duration, and that the 
subjects of it would finally be made holy and happy. 
This view Scott described as a gospel to get people 
out of hell, and that which he preached as designed 
to prevent them from going there — the one adapted 
to this world ; the other, even if true, adapted only to 
the world to come, and consequently that it was use- 
less to preach it here. 

Soon the views of Raines underwent a marked 
change, and he sought his friend Ebenezer Williams, 
the ablest advocate of Universalism in that region, 
and laid before him the change which had taken 
place in his mind and the reasons for it. These 



l8o LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

were heard and carefully canvassed. The two friends 
spent many of the hours usually devoted to sleep in 
an earnest and candid examination of the Scriptures, 
and the result was that Williams was soon 'as firmly 
convinced of the truth of the views held by his amia- 
ble and gifted young friend, which he had learned from 
the lips of Scott, as he was himself; and together they 
went down to a small lake near at hand and mutually 
baptized each other in its clear waters. They then 
threw themselves with the utmost energy into the 
work of preaching the gospel as distinguished from 
human systems, and with great success. 

The first fruits of the labors of Raines alone, within 
a few weeks after his baptism, was the conversion 
of about fifty persons, including three Universalist 
preachers. Hundreds have been turned from their 
sins by their united and earnest labors, and Universal- 
ism has never received heavier or deadlier blows than 
those dealt with the sword of the Spirit in the hands 
of Ebenezer Williams and Aylette Raines. Nearly 
half a century has passed, and each succeeding year 
has only proved that they abandoned destructive 
error for saving truth. Williams not long ago 
departed to his rest ; Raines still lingers on the 
shores of time, his work nearly done, his reward not 
distant. 



CHANGES WROUGHT. l8l 



CHAPTER XII. 

Changes wrought — Anecdotes — Toad sky-high — Neither for God nor 
devil — Meeting of the Association — Scott re-appointed — William 
Hayden given as fellow-laborer. 

FOR months the scenes at New Lisbon, Warren, 
Deerfield, and other points already noted, were 
repeated with but slight variation at various other 
places. Such a change as took place within the 
bounds of the Mahoning Association under the labors 
of Scott has seldom been equaled. Apathy and in- 
difference vanished, the dry bones in the Mahoning 
Valley were clothed with flesh and blood and stood 
upright, professors were roused to a new and un- 
wonted zeal, and every-where sinners became deeply 
concerned. The Bible was read with new interest, 
for the people had learned that it was not a dead 
letter, but the living word of the living God. The 
new views were canvassed in every village and almost 
every dwelling. Men from forest, field, and work- 
shop gladly heard and willingly obeyed a gospel 
which was but a republication of that first preached 
in Judea ; and many of these, in turn, told to others 
the story that had won their hearts by its sweetness 
and simplicity. 

The beautiful Mahoning became a second Jordan, 
and Scott another John calling on the people to pre- 
pare the way of the Lord. Every-where among the 



I 82 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

new converts arose men earnest and bold as the Gal- 
ilean fishermen, telling, too, the same story, calling 
their neighbors to repentance, and baptizing them in 
its clear waters. The small lakes within the same 
district became distinguished for baptismal scenes ; 
and frequently by the blaze of torches or' the moon's 
pale beams individuals and families, like that of the 
Philippian jailer, were baptized at the same hour of 
the night. 

Those scenes had a strange significance, and 
looked so much like those described in the Word 
of God, that the simple administration was more 
powerful than argument to convince bystanders that 
this was the true gospel baptism. 

The changed lives of the converts, their love for 
each other, their zeal for the welfare of their neigh- 
bors, and the signal ability with which ignorant and 
unlearned men, armed with the truth of God alone, 
could silence opposers who had all the advantages of 
libraries and learning, made upon those who saw and 
heard a deep and lasting impression. 

The strange captivating eloquence of Scott drew 
crowds whenever it was known that he would preach, 
and he was not slow to make, as well as to embrace, 
opportunities. In the groves, which have been well 
called God's first temples, he would discourse with 
rare eloquence and power during the day, and at 
night in barn, school-house, or private dwelling he 
would discourse to smaller but still more deeply in- 
terested audiences, consisting not of those who were 
drawn together from mere curiosity or from admira- 
tion of his wonderful powers, but of those upon whose 
hearts the truth had made an impression, earnest 



HELPERS FOUND. 1 83 

searchers after the right ways of God, who followed 
and listened, and sought not in vain. 

Alone at first he labored, but soon he found earn- 
est and faithful helpers, not only among those who 
had been teaching the way of the Lord yet imper- 
fectly, and who gladly accepted the truth as he pre- 
sented it ; but, in addition to these, many of his 
converts to whom the popular theories were contra- 
dictory and distasteful, as soon as the truth, harmony, 
and consistency of the gospel was presented, received 
it gladly, and with great plainness and power urged 
upon their neighbors that which had brought such 
comfort and blessing to their own souls. 

Nor were instances rare of skeptics abandoning 
their skepticism and becoming the advocates, not of 
modern but New Testament Christianity. Men em- 
inent in various professions saw a truth and beauty 
in the simple gospel and yielded to its charms, and 
even many who had publicly opposed it from the 
pulpit not only ceased their opposition but became its 
advocates. Nearly every convert became a preacher 
either in public or private ; the New Testament was 
studied by day and meditated upon by night ; scarcely 
a Disciple could be found without a small copy of the 
Sacred Oracles in his pocket as his daily companion ; 
numbers had their minds so stored with its truths 
that they could readily quote from memory whatever 
the occasion demanded — so much so that they were 
known as book men, the men of one book, and in a 
few cases as " walking Bibles." 

Wholly absorbed, as *Elder Scott was, in making 
known the truths which to him and thousands who 
heard him oossessed the charm almost of a new rev- 



184 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

elation, it is not a matter of wonder that such un- 
wonted zeal and devotion should lead him into what 
to cold and undemonstrative natures seemed as en- 
thusiasm and eccentricity. This, indeed, took place 
in many instances when the preacher could say with 
truth, "I speak the words of truth and soberness" — 
and his fire, and zeal, and earnestness were regarded 
as eccentricity only because they were so unusual. 

He realized the danger of his fellow-men more 
vividly than they did themselves, and the torpor and 
indifference of professed Christians led him often to 
such a course as was well calculated to alarm and 
arouse those that were at ease in Zion. His enthu- 
siasm was always an enlightened one, and his fre- 
quent singularity of manner never led into extrava- 
gancies that involved the substitution of mere human 
appliances for the teaching of the Word of God ; in- 
deed, his eccentricities arose from the fact that he 
possessed a deeper sense of the importance of the 
truth he had in charge than most men of his time. 
Many instances illustrative of this peculiarity are 
current. One of the most notable is the following : 

Riding into a village near the close of the day, he 
addressed himself to the school children who were 
returning home from school, in such a way that he 
soon had quite a circle of them gathered round him. 
He then said to them : " Children, hold up your left 
hands." They all did so, anticipating some sport. 
" Now," said he, " beginning with your thumb repeat 
what I say to you : Faith, repentance, baptism, remis- 
sion of sins, gift of the Holy Spirit — that takes up 
all your fingers. Now, again : Faith, repentance, 
baptism, remission of sins, gift of the Holy Spirit. 



THE SLEEPERS ROUSED. 1 85 

Now, again, faster, altogether: Faith, repentance, 
baptism, remission of sins, gift of the Holy Spirit — 
and thus he continued until they all could repeat it 
in concert, like a column of the multiplication table. 
They were all intensely amused, thinking that he was 
a harmless, crazy man. He then said : " Children, 
now run home — don't forget what is on your fingers, 
and tell your parents that a man will preach the gos- 
pel to-night at the school-house, as you have it on the 
five fingers of your hands." Away went the children, 
in great glee, repeating as they went, " Faith, repent- 
ance, baptism, remission of sins, gift of the Holy 
Spirit" — and soon the story was rehearsed in nearly 
every house of the village and neighborhood ; and long 
before the hour of meeting the house was thronged, 
and, of course, not a few of the children were there, 
all expecting to have great sport with the crazy man. 

The preacher rose, opened his meeting, and entered 
upon a plain and simple presentation of the gospel. 
But, alas! most of his hearers were Baptists of the 
ultra Calvinistic school, who would much rather have 
heard a discourse upon total depravity or uncondi- 
tional election than the theme in which the speaker 
was endeavoring to interest them. They, perhaps, like 
the children, had anticipated some sport, but, whether 
it was from indifference or disappointment, they paid 
but little attention, and many of them fell asleep. 

Sad, too, was the disappointment of the little peo- 
ple who had crowded to the front seats to enjoy the 
anticipated sport, for they discovered that he was not 
a crazy man after all. They were getting tired, too, 
and, like the older ones who were awake, wished 
that the speaker would close. 
16 



1 86 . LJFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

But soon the scene changed. Addressing himself 
abruptly to the little boys, who were getting restless, 
he said : " Boys, did you ever play toad sky-high ?" 
They all brightened up in a moment. Now, they 
thought, the fun is coming at last. " Well, boys," he 
proceeded, " I'll tell you how we used to play it in 
Scotland. First, we caught a toad, and went out into 
a clear open place, and got a log or a big stone, and 
across this we laid a plank or board, one end of which 
rested on the ground and the other stuck up in the 
air. We then placed the toad on the lower end, and 
took a big stick and struck the upper part of the 
board with all our might. The other end flew up, 
and away went the toad sky-high." At this the boys 
all laughed, and the sleepers rubbed their eyes and 
looked round to see what was the matter — and the 
speaker went on : " But, boys, that was not right ; 
that toad was one of God's creatures, and could feel 
pain as well as any of you. It was a poor, harmless 
thing, and it was wicked for us boys to send it thus 
flying through the air, for in most cases, when the 
toad came down the poor thing would be dead — and, 
boys, we felt very badly when we saw the blood 
staining its brown skin and its body bruised and its 
limbs broken, and lying motionless upon the grass 
through which it had hopped so merrily a few minutes 
before." 

The boys began to feel very serious at this ; but 
when he went on and described the enormity of such 
thoughtless wickedness, which ended in taking a life 
which could not be restored, many of them were 
moved to tears at the sad fate of the poor toad. Then 
turning to his audience, who had become aroused and 



A STRANGE AUDIENCE. 1 87 

interested, he burst upon them with words of bitter 
and scorching rebuke, asking what they, - professed 
Christians, thought of themselves, going to sleep 
under the story of a Savior's death and a Savior's 
love, while the hearts of the children were melted, 
and their tears flowing at the recital of the sufferings 
of a poor toad. 

Soon his hearers were as much interested as the 
children lately had been ; and though the preacher 
remained for quite a season -in their midst, he never 
again addressed a listless and sleepy audience ; the 
interest increased with every evening, and many had 
reason to be grateful to God that they had ever heard 
the preacher, who made the children circulate his ap- 
pointment by sending them home with the gospel on 
their fingers. 

On another occasion he was requested to preach 
one evening in a school-house near Warren, and, 
judging from the nature of the invitation, he fully 
expected to meet a good audience ; but on reaching 
the place he found but few assembled, and concluded 
that he would not preach. After waiting until it was 
evident that no more would come, he rose and re- 
marked that being a stranger to them, and they 
strangers to him, he had not sufficient knowledge of 
their views, feelings, and wants, to adapt his address 
to them without some further information. He then 
asked all who were present who were on the Lord's side 
to arise. As he anticipated, no one got up. He then 
asked all who were in favor of the devil to rise, but 
no one responded to the invitation. After looking 
at them for a few moments, he said that he had never 
seen such an audience before ; if they had stood up 



■i 88 



LIFE OF ELDER WAL TER SCO FT. 



either for God or the devil he would have known how 
to address them : as the matter stood, he would have 
to study their case, and try, if possible, to meet it, 
and that he would be back the next evening at the 
same hour to give them the result of his reflections. 
He then took his hat and departed. 

The next evening, as might have been expected, 
the house was not large enough for the audience, for 
all who were present on the previous evening spread 
abroad the appointment, and thus excited the curios- 
ity of the entire community ; nor did the meeting 
close until curiosity yielded to a deeper feeling, and 
the truth achieved a victory. 

In such labors as these the months went by until 
August, the appointed time for the meeting of the 
Association, which this year met at Warren, and 
proved to be a most interesting and joyful occasion. 
For years % before the attendance had not been large, 
and chilling reports of the want of success had* sad- 
dened the hearts of its members. The increase of 
numbers by conversion scarcely replaced the ravages 
by death and vacancies by reason of apostasy and 
exclusion ; but now a great and delightful change had 
taken place — the number of converts far exceeded 
that of the entire membership of the Association at 
the beginning of the year when Scott entered upon 
his labors ; some of the churches had doubled their 
numbers ; new churches had been formed ; the con- 
verts were distinguished by unusual zeal and activ- 
ity, and many of them were present to add to the glad- 
ness which prevailed and to partake of the joy. Not 
far from one thousand new converts had been made, 
and a new life had been infused into the churches, 






A HA PP 3 ' MEE TING. 1 89 

and, as a consequence, great joy prevailed, and the 
routine of business for a season gave way to mutual 
congratulations on the success of the gospel, to 
prayer and praise. 

Among the converts were those from different 
religious bodies, and also several preachers who had 
abandoned their various creeds, and it now became a 
serious question whether all those various elements 
could be harmonized and unite upon the common 
basis of the Word of God. 

It was well known that Aylette Raines, who had 
heretofore been a zealous Universalist, still retained 
his opinions with regard to the final restoration of the 
entire race to the favor of God, and it was feared that 
it would work injuriously were he not required to 
make a public recantation of the obnoxious senti- 
ments, and quite a number of the members of the 
Association were unwilling to receive him unless he 
should do so. 

When it is remembered that nearly all present had 
been reared under one or the other of the various 
party creeds, and that the Association had been long 
committed to the doctrines set forth in the Philadel- 
phia Confession of Faith, this will not be wondered 
at — the wonder will be rather that they were able to 
rise above the influences of early teaching and long- 
confirmed habits of thought, and to take the advanced 
scriptural ground which they finally did. 

When the case of Raines was formally brought 
before the Association, the Campbells — father and 
son — both advocated his reception as a Christian 
brother; the former, on the ground that Mr. Raines' 
Restorationism, like his own Calvinism, was a relig- 



I90 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

ious speculation or theory ; the latter, on the ground 
that Mr. Raines' view on the final restoration of, the 
wicked, was merely an opinion or inference which was 
nowhere set forth in the Word of God, and insisted 
that unity in matters of faith, plainly taught in the 
Scriptures, was necessary, and not perfect agreement 
in matters of mere opinion concerning which they 
were silent. All he thought to be necessary in the 
matter was for Mr. Raines to preach the gospel -as it 
was delivered to us by the apostles, and retain his 
opinions on the subject in question as private prop- 
erty, and not attempt to make them binding upon 
others. Were he to. pursue this course he did not 
doubt but that the truth would soon deliver him from 
his philosophy, by making him see that, to base sal- 
vation on acceptance of the go.spel offer was the safer 
ground, and that his theory would be useless to all 
that did so. 

With the sentiments advanced by these brethren, 
Walter Scott, who had struggled long and harcl with 
difficulties growing out of his own early religious 
education, perfectly agreed, as matters derived from 
creed and catechism, once held dear, had faded from 
his own mind under the increasing light of truth, so 
he doubted not it would be with Mr. Raines, his son 
in the gospel. 

As views and opinions cherished for years can not 
be renounced by an effort of the will, Mr. Raines 
could not in a moment abjure what he had long cher- 
ished, yet he cheerfully' pledged himself to preach 
nothing beyond what he found clearly set forth in the 
Word of God, and, as he had for some time preached 
no doubtful matters or opinions, but the gospel in its 



A GREAT PRINCIPLE SETTLED. 191 

ancient simplicity, by a large majority he was ac- 
cepted as a Christian brother. This course demon- 
strated the feasibility of Christian union, on the broad 
ground of agreement with regard to matters univer- 
sally held to be clearly revealed, and mutual toleration 
in regard to those things for which there was no 
scriptural authority. 

The principle thus settled was one of immense im- 
portance and of great practical value, as it led to the 
abandonment of all the human elements in the con- 
flicting party creeds, and brought thousands together 
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and 
united and harmonized them as the truth only can. 

The result in the case of Mr. Raines was such as 
was foreseen, and in about two years after he thus 
wrote to Mr. Campbell in regard to the change which 
had taken place : 

" I wish to inform you that my ' restorationist ' senti- 
ments have been slowly and imperceptibly erased from my 
mind by the ministry of Paul and Peter, and some other 
illustrious preachers, with whose discourses and writings, I 
need not tell you, you seem to be intimately acquainted. 
After my immersion I brought my mind, as much as I 
possibly could, like a blank surface, to the ministry of the 
New Institution, and by this means, I think, many char- 
acters of truth have been imprinted in my mind which did 
not formerly exist there. * * * I hope, during the re- 
mainder of my days, to devote my energies, not to the 
building up of sectarian systems, but to the teaching of the 
Word." 

This purpose Mr. Raines has fully accomplished in 
a faithful and most efficient ministry of more than 



192 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

forty years, and recently he thus refers to the cher- 
ished remembrance of " the great kindness and mag- 
nanimity with which," says he, " the Campbells and 
Walter Scott treated me after my baptism, and before 
I was convinced of the erroneousness of my restor- 
ationist philosophy. They used to say to me : ' It is 
a mere philosophy, like Calvinism and Arminianism, 
and no part of the gospel.' They made these isms 
of but little value, and therefore not worth contend- 
ing for, and they did not put themselves in conflict 
with my philosophy, but rather urged me to preach 
the gospel in matter and form as did the apostles. 
This all appeared to me to be reasonable, and I did 
it, and one of the consequences was, that the phil- 
osophy within me became extinct, having no longer 
the coals of contention by which to warm, or the 
crumbs of sectarian righteousness upon which to feed." 
The result of Elder Scott's labors did not leave the 
matter of his re-appointment in the least doubtful. 
The judgment of all was that he should be continued 
in the position for which he had shown such ad- 
mirable fitness. The work, however, had become too 
great for the labors of any one man, and he therefore 
requested that a helper should be appointed for the 
succeeding year, and, as William Hayden had shown 
great zeal and ability for some months past, he asked 
that he should be his companion in toil. This pro- 
posal met with general approval, and was followed by 
some discussion as to the bounds of their labors, some 
thinking that they should be confined within the 
bounds of the Association, and others, that the evan- 
gelists should be free to go wherever a favorable 
opening should present itself. 



HA YD EN'S APPOINTMENT. 1 93 

Scott's spirit was stirred within him, and with that 
grace and earnestness by which he was distinguished, 
he rose and said : " Brethren, give me my Bible, my 
head, and Bro. William Hayden, and we will go forth 
and convert the world !" A minister rose and moved 
that his request be granted, and the motion was 
passed with enthusiasm, and forth they went into a 
field white for the harvest, ready for the reaper's 
gathering hand. Well and faithfully did they toil, 
rich and abundant were the sheaves which rewarded 
their labors ; nor shall they be forgotten when the 
Lord of the harvest shall come ! 



17 



194 LIFE OF EIDER WAITER SCOTT. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



Sketch of William Hayden — Early doubts — Meets with Scott — Musical 
talent — Education in the Saddle — Specimen of his style — Extent 
of his labors. 



VERY fortunate was Scott in having such a man 
as William Hayden for a fellow-laborer ; com- 
panionship in his work he long had needed, and in 
him he found one ready to share in his toils and 
worthy to share his success. Their lives were long 
blended in sweetest unison, their abundant labors 
created no jealousy, but mutually endeared them to 
each other ; and, though, in after years, Scott had 
other helpers amid other scenes — men whose talents, 
virtues, zeal, and sacrifices will never be forgotten — 
yet none of them ever reached that degree of in- 
timacy, or found a place so near his heart as did 
William Hayden. 

He was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsyl- 
vania, on the 30th of June, 1799. Four years after, 
his father, Samuel Hayden, removed to Youngstown, 
Ohio, then almost an unbroken wilderness, and Wil- 
liam grew up among the hardships and privations of 
a frontier life. He was an unusually reflective boy, 
grappling, even in childhood, with the highest prob- 
lems of human duty and destiny. Before reaching 
his twelfth year he had passed through the various 
phases of unbelief, from the mildest form of skepticism 
to absolute atheism. Having reached the deepest 



THE YOUNG SKEPTIC. 1 95 

darkness a reaction took place — the struggle back to 
light. He came to the conclusion: "That if nothing 
had eternally, or rather, primarily existed, nothing 
could have arisen, or been originated ; hence, a 
cause uncaused is self-evident." He then reasoned 
that if God made us we are not too insignificant for 
him to govern and judge, and he became a believer 
in Divine Revelation. In his seventeenth year he 
made a public profession of religion, being baptized 
by Elder Joshua Woodworth, and united with the 
Baptist church, of which his parents were members, 
on the 19th of May, 18 16. For one of his original 
and independent turn of mind the limits of the creed 
of the Baptist church were too narrow, the deep and 
broad foundations of the Bible alone satisfying the 
craving of his mind and heart ; hence, when the plea 
for a return to the Word of God was advocated in the 
" Christian Baptist," he accepted it as the expression 
of the conviction he had long cherished. As yet, 
however, he had only admitted it as a principle by 
which it was safe to be guided, not knowing whither 
it would lead ; but that principle became the pole 
star of his life, which increased in lustre until its 
close. He was not quick and impulsive, but rather 
bold, and yet cautious — cautious in examining any 
thing new that was offered, but bold to adopt and 
advocate it when satisfied that it was true. 

Up to the year 1827 he was greatly cramped 
by the prevalent Calvinistic views which were every- 
where taught among the' Baptists, and when he first 
heard Walter Scott calling sinners to repentance and 
instant obedience, it was so contrary to the teaching 
and practice in which he had been educated, that he 



ig6 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

was disposed to regard it as a modern innovation, 
and as- such, to be opposed, rather than a return to 
the purity and simplicity of the primitive age. 

Hearing that Walter Scott was -to preach near Can- 
field, he rode eight miles to hear him ; the school- 
house where the appointment had been made was 
thronged when he reached there, and the first words 
which fell from the lips of the preacher had a most 
startling effect. The words were : " There is not a 
man in this house who believes that God means what 
he says." To a Bible man like Hayden, this had the 
air of arrogance, and he felt like rising up and say- 
ing, as he truly felt, " there is, sir, at least one man 
here who does believe that God means what he says," 
but there was something in the manner of the speaker 
which lead him to retain his seat and listen to the 
proof of the daring statement. Scott then proceeded 
to show that various and conflicting theories of re- 
ligion were taught, as all present well knew, and that 
the advocates of each made the Bible bend to their 
own peculiar system ; that they could not express 
their views in the language of Holy Scripture without 
submitting it to some unseemly mutilation ; and that 
men really believed their own version or interpreta- 
tion of the Scriptures which was different from and 
even contradictory to the Word of God. He main- 
tained that Bible questions admitted of Bible answers, 
and showed that modern preachers gave answers to 
Bible questions greatly differing from those given to 
the same questions by the apostles of Jesus Christ, 
and that if men believed that God meant what he 
said they would believe and act upon what they ad- 
mitted to be the Word of God. This admitted 



THE BIBLE MEANS WHAT IT SA YS. 1 97 

neither of doubt nor reply, and the sincere and 
honest hearted Hayden felt that he had not hereto- 
fore believed " that God meant what he said," but he 
resolved that he would do so from that hour. He 
realized now, for the first time, that the human theory 
which he had been preaching was not only useless 
but dangerous ; that it made those who believed it 
feel that their lot was fixed for weal or woe before 
they ever came into the world, and, therefore, if true, 
useless, as no change was possible ; and if false, dan- 
gerous in the extreme by leading men to inaction 
when life and salvation depended on action. He felt 
that the gospel he had been preaching was a false 
alarm, trying to make the elect feel in danger when 
there was no danger, and that the offer to the non- 
elect was a mockery, as no provision had been made 
for their rescue. He saw now that the gospel was 
no false alarm, that men were in danger of perishing ; 
he saw, too, that the gospel offer was not a pretense 
but a reality, made in good faith to all who would obey 
the glad message and live. The scales fell from his 
eyes, he understood the Bible no longer by the light 
of tradition and usage, but as its own interpreter, 
bidding all to come and take of the water of life freely. 
From that day his spiritual horizon was greatly en- 
larged, and though he had not learned all the truth, 
he had learned that tne Word of God was the great 
treasure-house of saving truth, and from its rich 
stores he largely and freely drew. An offer of salva- 
tion to all, now meant all, and when a trembling sinner 
or believing penitent came with the earnest cry 
" What shall I do ?" he directed them not to a church 
committee, or the judgment of their fellow-men, but 



I98 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

to the answer which was given to the Philippian jailer, 
or that which Peter on Pentecost gave to the heart- 
stricken Jews. With great point and simplicity he 
gives an account of his spiritual growth both before 
and after the period to which we have alluded above, 
and we give it in his own words. 

"At a meeting of the preachers of the Mahoning Bap- 
tist Association, got up for mutual improvement, I was 
quite startled by the following saying : ' The true disciple 
of Christ is he who will follow the truth wheresoever it 
leads.' Thought I, a bold idea. Is it a safe one? Where 
will it lead? Shall I adopt it? It might make me some- 
thing else than a Bapitst, and thought it would not be my 
choice. But, thought I again, follow the truth ; where 
can it lead but to God in heaven? Dare I follow any 
thing else ? In a moment it was resolved to subscribe the 
principle with all my heart. Now, said I to myself, what 
is truth? During the same meeting, the same individual, 
who uttered the former sentiment, expressed the following : 
'You will find, by reading the Apostles' preaching, as 
contained in the book of ' The Acts,' that in preaching 
the gospel, they never preached the doctrine of Election.' 
From this point the affair progressed until I became 
alarmed for my old Calvinistic creed, and my own sal- 
vation too. I concluded, however, not to abandon Christ 
nor the Bible. But our old-fashioned, sectarian way of 
reading the Bible was now found a.great hinderance to our 
progress in search of truth. At New Lisbon, at a similar 
meeting, the chief subject up was, the true principles of 
interpretation of the Scriptures. It was easily perceived 
the book was to be read like other books, i. e., first, find 
who speaks, who it is spoken to, what is the subject, what 
is the object, and what is the context. Then every passage 
and every word in it has but one meaning, and the classical 



IM YD EN'S VIEWS. 1 99 

meaning is the theological meaning. We thus found the 
Bible was a self-interpreter, and every diligent student of 
it could be a self-taught disciple. From that time the 
Bible was studied as a new book, and oh, what a change 
it made ! It is better remembered and felt than told. 

" Having learned the distinction between the Old Testa- 
ment and the New — that Judaism and Christianity are not 
identical ; that while the Jewish scriptures contained the 
religion of symbols and types, and the prophecies, the 
Christian Scriptures contained the facts, the substance, the 
fulfillment — the gospel. We set about learning what the 
gospel is, and its efficacy. It was, by and by, found that 
the ' gospel ' is the power of God unto salvation to every 
one that believes it ; that it is the word or ministry of 
reconciliation, the ministration of righteous men. It was 
found that the Holy Spirit is not to be expected to convert 
nor sanctify any person but by the gospel. This led to 
inquire what the gospel is, and what it is not. It was dis- 
covered that the clergy were in the habit of preaching the 
traditions, speculations, and opinions of former times, con- 
tained in creeds and bodies of so-called divinity, for the 
gospel of Christ. These things, sometimes by themselves, 
sometimes mingled with more or less of the facts, precepts, 
and promises of the gospel, or, perchance, of the Jewish 
religion, were taught as Christianity; not relied on, how- 
ever, to convert men, but invoking the Divine Spirit to 
enter the sinner's heart, to change it and give him a new 
motive, that he might understand the heterogeneous mass 
of sectarian and blind theology. Thus, it was not uncom- 
mon to find thousands of honest people bewildered and in 
painful suspense, waiting for they knew not what — some 
mystic power that they might be converted, not knowing 
where to go, who to believe, or what to do. Thousands, 
discouraged, disgusted, and turned into infidelity, and per- 
ishing for lack of knowledge ; while the Christian com- 



■^ 



200 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

munity was divided into factions and full of strife and 
fierce contentions and rivalries. Oh, sad sight indeed ! 

"The need of reform was manifest to all who had eyes 
to see and a heart to feel for a guilty and perishing world 
for whom the Savior died and rose again. 

" iVrduous was the work in which the brethren had en- 
gaged, and wind and tide against them. Misrepresenta- 
tions and unkindness in a thousand forms, and from those 
who ought to have been friends and fellow -helpers, together 
with much self-denial and sacrifice, had to be endured. 

"Still the work went on. God had put them on the 
trace. They had the infallible directory of Heaven, and 
the true key of knowledge, and an immortal crown to 
cheer them on." 

In choosing Hayden as his fellow-laborer Scott was 
influenced not only by his preaching ability but also by 
his fine musical powers ; said he, " there is not a man 
in the Association that can sing like him." He had a 
voice of great depth and compass, at one time sweet 
and melodious as the south wind's sigh, at another, 
swelling out into tempest tones. He instructed his 
hearers by his speech, but he melted and moved them 
by his songs, and all who knew him remembered him 
as the sweet singer. 

Thrown into the field of labor with such a gifted 
spirit as Scott, he made rapid improvement in preach- 
ing, which became his life work. His educational 
opportunities had been limited ; books were then 
comparatively rare, and he found it of immense ad- 
vantage to be in the society and enjoy the instruction 
of Scott, who was at that time one of the most accom- 
plished scholars in the West, and who was delighted 
with a pupil of such parts and promise. Except 






TEACHING ON HORSEBACK. 201 

when preaching, almost all the time in the saddle, 
visiting the various points at which their labors were 
needed, they enjoyed fine opportunities for conversa- 
tion in those rides which else had been long and 
tedious ; and when the place of labor was reached the 
pupil had a fine opportunity for studying the rich 
and admirable style of the tutor, while he in turn, with 
equal pleasure, had the opportunity to mark the im- 
provement of his beloved pupil. 

Their intercourse was respectful, tender, and affec- 
tionate, and at the same time free and unrestrained. 
Scott's learning and genius was not chilling and awe- 
inspiring, but as a father instructing a son who 
delighted to learn, so he instructed his younger 
companion, whom he affectionately called " Willy." 
Hayden would sometimes spend so much time on his 
introduction as to shorten his discourse so much as 
to throw it out of proportion and symmetry, which 
Scott would correct the next day as they rode to- 
gether to another appointment, by saying, " Willy, 
did you ever know a fish to be all head?" followed 
by instructions that were never forgotten. Occa- 
sionally, too, he would be impelled by his feelings to 
exhort his hearers at the opening of his discourse, 
and the result would be that the sermon would all 
run to exhortation, of which Scott would playfully 
remind him, on the first suitable occasion, by saying, 
" Willy, did you ever see a fish all tail?" Hayden 
was an apt pupil, seldom were the same instructions 
needed twice, and his admirable good sense, and 
strong, though somewhat uncultivated, powers, soon 
gave him a mastery over an audience which but few 
have been able to attain. Being in almost constant 



202 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

communion they exchanged thoughts on all matters 
connected with their work. The inquisitive turn of 
Hayden, his quick insight and profound penetration, 
was a fine stimulus to the richly-stored mind and 
glowing fancy of Scott, while he in turn was bene- 
fitted by the solid judgment and keen native good 
sense of his younger companion. Together they 
traversed the Reserve, performing an amount of 
labor that now seems incredible, often, too, amid re- 
proach and opposition, but always with most cheer- 
ing success ; and, though, in after years, welcome 
and glad greetings hailed them in the scenes of their 
early and arduous labors, the days of toil and conflict 
were sweet to remember. 

After two or three years of such intercourse as we 
have attempted to describe, Scott left the Reserve for 
other fields of labor, but Hayden, who had become 
by that time a man of acknowledged power, remained 
and carried on to greater perfection the work which 
they together had begun. Each year for more than 
twenty found him a stronger man than the year be- 
fore, and he never visited a place in which he could 
not find a warm welcome whenever he returned. 
No preacher was ever more widely or favorably 
known within the bounds of the Western Reserve 
than he ; for thirty-five years he there labored zeal- 
ously and faithfully for the glory of God and the 
welfare of his fellow-men, and many, very many, 
will be the stars in his crown of rejoicing. 

After their separation they seldom met, but no 
estrangement grew out of long absence ; the teacher 
never forgot his beloved pupil, and the pupil never 
ceased to cherish the warmest affection for his 



HA YDEN'S APPEARANCE. 203 

teacher. In different parts of the N vineyard they 
labored for the same Lord, bearing the same burden 
and heat of the day ; partners in toil here, they are 
partners now in the rest that remaineth for the 
people of God. 

In stature, Hayden was not over medium height, but 
well knit and capable of great labor and endurance. 
His eyes were gray, complexion dark, and rendered 
more so than was natural by almost constant ex- 
posure ; a warm heart within gave a kindly ex- 
pression to his features, and when before his audi- 
ence there was that in his face that impressed his 
hearers with the thought that they were in the 
presence of an earnest, honest man ; and his faith- 
fulness in pointing out their duty and danger only 
served to deepen the conviction which his appear- 
ance suggested. 

His discourses were severely thought out ; he was 
a safe preacher, never speaking at random ; his views 
were reached by careful examination and seldom 
needed a change ; he was, moreover, a natural 
logician, with the rare power of moving to action, 
by his exhortations, those whom his arguments had 
convinced. 

He seldom committed his thoughts to paper, and 
when he did so, much of the inspiration of his spoken 
discourses was wanting ; the sentiment, however, was 
always pure ; and the following, we doubt not, will be 
prized by those who knew and loved him. 

"'And there was a strife also among them, which of 

them should be accounted the greatest.' Luke xxii : 24. 

"False ambition has, perhaps, been productive of more 



204 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

evil to the human race, than any other cause. It is noth- 
ing else than supreme selfishness. It sometimes assumes 
very specious names and appearances. When it strives for 
the mastery in the political world, it styles itself patriotism. 
Then you hear the demagogue eloquently pleading the 
interests of the 'dear people/ the honor of his country, 
while denouncing his competitors as enemies to both. 
When it seeks for pre-eminence in the church, it shows 
itself in zeal for orthodoxy, for long established usages. 
Or, perchance, it grows dissatisfied with all these, and would 
throw society into a ferment and proclaim 'reform,' ' prog- 
ress with the spirit of the age,' placing itself at the head 
of parties, armies, and nations, or if disappointed in this, 
turning misanthrope, finds fault with every thing and com- 
plains of the ingratitude of mankind. In the church, the 
individual no longer able to endure, or fellowship the cor- 
ruption and hypocrisy of brethren, leaves the church and 
concludes he can best serve his God (/. e.'), his own pride 
and envy alone. Such persons are very zealous Christians 
so long as they can be put forward and have things in their 
own way. If an individual is suspected of possessing more 
of the confidence and esteem of the brethren than himself, 
he can never hear without pain, such brother commended ; 
but to ease his mind with as good a grace as may be, he will 
admit there are some good qualities in the brother, 'but' 
he has certain faults, which ought to be known in order to 
form a just estimate of his character. 

"Doubtless many deceive themselves into a notion that 
their motives are pure, that it is the glory of God, and the 
interest of his cause they have at heart, when pride, envy, 
and jealousy lie at the bottom of all they say and do. Even 
the pure in heart will have enough to do to keep them- 
selves pure. The religion and morals of Paganism were 
quite consistent with, nay encouraged and patronized this 
love of pre-eminence, insomuch that ' a strife for the mas- 
tery,' in all their games and pursuits in peace and war, was 



SEX MO N ON HUMILITY. 205 

most manifest. Their historians and poets, their painters 
and sculptors, published and extolled, celebrated and gave 
a sort of immortality to the successful aspirant, which in 
turn inflamed the ardor and fired trTe ambition of others. 
The consequences were, that pride and all the warring pas- 
sions of their nature were let loose and stimulated to the 
utmost ; the very gods were, indeed, supposed to be delighted 
with the contest, insomuch that envy, rage, malevolence, 
with all their consequences, filled the world. 

"The w T orld could not possibly be reformed without a 
religion essentially different, which should cut off the very 
root of all those principles of action and institute others, 
which should implant, cherish, and cultivate to perfection 
the opposite of the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye, 
and the pride or ambition of the world. 

"Christianity is the only system of religion and morals 
that can bless the human race. Instead of pride, humility ; 
instead of envy, esteem for others ; instead of hatred and 
revenge, gentleness, brotherly kindness, and benevolence. 
The gospel reveals to us the true state and condition of 
mankind, all guilty before God. With all their boasted at- 
tainments, discoveries, and improvements, their wisdom, 
learning, arts, pleasures, and religion, all wro?ig, ignorant, 
false, vain, destructive to man, offensive to God, without 
God, without hope, lost. At the same time, the compas- 
sion of the everlasting God, his truth, justice, and mercy 
revealed in the sacrificing for our sins his only begotten 
Son, the humbling, repenting, and submitting of ourselves 
to him, the infallible assurance of forgiveness, of resurrec- 
tion and eternal life, and the eternal condemnation of all 
who neglect the gospel, the whole sustained by miracles, 
signs, wonders, and prophecies, addressed to the senses 
and reason of mankind, calling for immediate submission. 
Such a proclamation honestly heeded, could not fail to 
reform the human race. Nothing else could do it. Hence 
the gospel, and nothing but the gospel, is ' the power of 



206 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

God to the salvation of all who really believe it.' 'Tis 
this and only this that makes man to know himself — his 
origin, destiny, nature, relation, wants, wounds, sorrows, 
and remedies. The value his Maker sets upon him, the 
vanity of the world and all its ambition and pomp, how 
empty and foolish its pleasures, how good and gracious is 
the Lord, how kind and gentle the Savior, how dignified, 
majestic, powerful, rich, and glorious, till his heart de- 
lighted, and his soul enraptured with the love and philan- 
thropy of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
he is reconciled in feeling, and obeys from the heart the 
gospel; being then free from sin, he is a child of God, an 
neir of glory; his spirit is full of joy, abounding in all com- 
passion to man his fellow. 

" True Christianity makes true Christians, corrupt Chris- 
tianity makes at best imperfect Christians. In the latter 
case, however sincere, partyism and all its attendant evils, 
will more or less prevail; in the former, union, humility, 
love, peace, and good will, and all moral excellence, must 
be the fruit. 

"The first thing Christ said, in his sermon on the mount, 
was, ' Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the king- 
dom of Heaven.' Instead of extolling pride, ambition, 
and turbulence, which have filled the earth with carnage, 
crimes, and tears, he condemns them all, and inculcates 
those principles which, however, despised by heroes, poets, 
orators, statesmen, are the only principles, that can pro- 
mote ' Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, and 
good will among men.' 

"But alas ! How slow to learn, how slow to practice the 
pure religion, the Holy Gospel of the Redeemer ! And 
the disciples making their boasts of the Bible alone, how 
far from appreciating, honoring, and exhibiting pure 
Christianity. Have we not seen envy and strife, insub- 
ordination, jealousy, rivalry, and recklessness? ' Which* 
of us shall be accounted the greatest.' I anvnot sure that 



SERMON ON HUMILITY. 207 

this demon has not pursued at times persons of all stations, 
the most obscure and private disciples, deacons, overseers, 
preachers, exhorters, editors. ' My sacred honor ' is too 
often mistaken for the honor of Christ and his cause. It is 
true, while we are clothed with mortality we shall be liable 
to faults and imperfections of character. We see such 
things every- where, even in 'the twelve,' before they 
received power from on high. It is also to be lamented 
that men of the world choose rather to look at the imper- 
fections of Christians, than at the perfections of Chris- 
tianity and its glorious author. But we can not prevent it; 
they will not look at the religion of Christ, but through its 
advocates ; and, therefore, the Savior said, ' Let your light 
so shine before men, that others seeing your good works 
shall glorify your Father which is in heaven.' And an 
apostle said, ' So is the will of God that with well doing 
you put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.' And in no 
other way can we open the way to the human heart. There- 
fore, how pertinent all the exhortations of the apostles to 
purity, humility, peace, and love. 

"I would not be understood, however, to say there is no 
ambition to be cherished by the gospel, or that there is no 
true greatness to be aimed at by the Christian. Far from it. 
But the ambition and greatness here is free from envy, and 
is compatible with the most pure and sincere esteem for all, 
even those who excel us. Christ said whoever wishes to be 
great must be servant. Now suppose a brother superior for 
talent, education, or property. That brother is not haughty 
nor over-bearing; but gentle, kind, condescending, full of 
liberality, and all goodness ; affects no superiority in ap- 
parel, style, or manners ; seeks not applause ; rather diffident 
than assuming; delighting*in the happiness of others; taking 
pleasure in doing all he can to happify all around him, in 
his family, neighborhood, the church, and the world abroad. 
Who can envy him? A man whose only superiority con- 



208 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

sists in goodness, can not be envied by any man, saint or 
sinner, scarcely by a hypocrite. 

" Goodness, supreme goodness, no man can hate. No 
matter how much worth, talent, learning, or fame be con- 
nected with it, if these be subordinate to goodness, and 
directed by wisdom, they will command the admiration 
and affection of the human heart. Therefore, it is that we 
love God. Therefore, it is that certain men will have an 
influence in society beyond others and are not envied but 
beloved. 

"So,- also, the good man can not envy any one. He can 
not envy the rich brother while himself is poor, if the rich 
one is governed by goodness. And if the rich, or learned, 
or talented be he not a good man, though he be famed and 
admired, and have an influence beyond what moral worth 
gives him, still his fame and influence must have an end, 
and his pride will have a fall ; consequently, he is not to be 
envied. 

"The greatest man in the world, then, is he who is most 
like the Savior of men; who lays all his honors, gifts, or 
attainments at the feet of Jesus, and gives him all the glory. 
It is he who abounds in all goodness, purity, and godly 
fear. It is he whose soul is moved at the wretchedness of 
mankind, and is only concerned to see men redeemed and 
God glorified through Jesus Christ. It is he who has the 
least taste, and is least attracted by the things admired and 
pursued by the giddy, gay, ungodly world of mankind, 
while he glories in the Lord," 

As already stated, he was chosen by Scott him-, 
self as a fellow-laborer, and the choice was confirmed 
by the unanimous vote of the Association, in August, 
1828, and in October, of the same year, he was form- 
ally ordained to the. gospel ministry by Elders Scott 
and Bentley. " From the time of his selection and or- 



HA YD EN' S AB UNDANT LAB ORS. 209 

dination, preaching the gospel was his chief business. 
During his ministry of near thirty five years, he trav- 
eled nearly ninety thousand miles, full sixty thousand 
of which he made on horseback ; that is, by this latter 
mode of travel, more than twice around the world ! 
These travels extended from Syracuse, New York, on 
the east, to the Mississippi River on the west, and 
from the Provinces of Canada to Virginia. Yet his 
labors were mostly performed on the Western Re- 
serve and its borders, in north-eastern Ohio, where 
he planted many churches. The baptisms by his own 
hands were twelve hundred and seven, about seven 
hundred of whom were females. He preached over 
nine thousand sermons, which is two hundred and 
sixty-one discourses per annum for every year of his 
public life. He once preached fifty sermons in the 
month of November alone. Besides all these pulpit 
services his private labors were abundant and inces- 
sant. The people gathered about him for the instruc- 
tion and edification of his conversation ; few excelled 
him in this kind of power. He had a peculiar turn 
for winning attention, and imparting instruction in 
the social circle, mingling the humor that charms 
with the experience that imparts information. Few 
could relate or relish an anecdote better, or apply 
one more appropriately for the purpose of illustration. 
Yet he never indulged in recitals of any in which the 
adorable Name, or any of the titles of the Most High, 
were even playfully, much less irreverently, intro- 
duced ; a practice against which he bore frequent and 
forcible testimony. 

The mental powers of William Hayden were most 
rapid and energetic in action. His method of reason- 
18 



210 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

ing tended to generalization, embracing great variety 
in subject and method. Though not favored in early 
life with an extensive education, his taste, discern- 
ment, and industry very fully supplied this lack of 
opportunity, and stored his mind with much general 
information and critical historic learning. The mas- 
ter quality of his mind was his almost matchless 
memory — memory of history, incident, event, and 
chronology. In all his temporal business, of which 
he transacted considerable all life-long, he kept no 
book account. He made no memorandum of his ser- 
mons, and he could report at any time, promptly and 
accurately, the number of his sermons, baptisms, 
miles of travel, and multitudes of incidents connected 
with all these matters, and all without pen or pencil 
to aid him ! It were vanity, perhaps, to assign him 
in this behalf a place with Macauiay or Johnson ; but 
all who knew him, wondered at his power — a power 
which was at his command, with undiminished force, 
up to the hour of his death. In his character were 
chiefly discernible firmness, inflexibility, affection, 
and qualities eminently social and hospitable. His 
religion was conscience and reverence ; his humanity, 
a tender and systematic benevolence." He gave 
largely for humane, religious, and educational pur- 
poses, and left behind him an example worthy of imi- 
tation. 



A PLEASING INCIDENT. ■ 211 



CHAPTER XIV. 

A pleasing incident — Bentley and Bosworth appointed as helpers — Dissolu- 
tion of the Mahoning Association — Scott's inflexibility of purpose — 
Campbell moved by his eloquence — Death in his family — Replies to 
Robert Dale Owen. 

THE year 1829 was very fruitful in results; 
wherever Scott and Hayden went large crowds 
assembled, and hundreds yielded to the truth and 
were gathered into the fold. Among the places 
visited were Palmyra, Deerfield, Windham, Mantua, 
Braceville, Bazetta, and, indeed, nearly every place 
of importance on the Reserve. During this, the first 
year of the joint labors of himself and William Hay- 
den, an incident of great interest to Bro. Scott, and 
one deeply and intimately associated with the inter- 
ests and success of the work in which he was en- 
gaged, occurred. 

The reader will, doubtless, recall a favorite pupil of 
Mr. Scott's, while engaged in teaching in Pittsburg 
many years before, named Richardson, under the 
roof of whose father the teacher found a home. This 
pupil had now become a man, and was fulfilling the 
promise of his early youth ; in addition to fine liter- 
ary training, he added a course of medical study, and 
was now engaged in the practice of medicine near 
Pittsburg. He was, moreover, a deeply religious 
man, a member of the Episcopal church, and was 
confirmed by the Rev. William White, the venerable 



212 



LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



Bishop of Pennsylvania ; his pastor was the Rev. 
J. H. Hopkins, afterward Bishop of Vermont ; and 
such were his attainments and piety that he was 
urged to enter the ministry of the church of which 
he was a member. It was a pleasant surprise to him 
when his old teacher, then living at Canfield, Ohio, 
who had never ceased to feel a deep interest in him, 
most unexpectedly paid him a visit. Mr. Scott, full 
of the theme which had for the last year or two 
fully occupied his mind, gave the doctor an account 
his labors on the Western Reserve, and the excite- 
ment which had been aroused and the success which 
had attended them ; the doctor felt that he was a 
pupil still, and, with the deepest interest, listened to 
what he considered one of the most important mat- 
ters that had ever engaged his attention. The fol- 
lowing is a full account of the interview and its re- 
sults, from the Memoirs of Alexander Campbell : 
" During the interview he related many interesting 
incidents connected with his labors on the Reserve, 
which excited much surprise on the part of the doctor, 
who had as yet remained quite uninformed in respect 
to the character of the religious movement in which 
Mr. Scott was now engaged, and was still a member 
of the Episcopal church, though at the time in com- 
munion with the Presbyterian church in his immediate 
neighborhood. The statement that the Christian in- 
stitution was quite distinct from the Jewish, and had 
a definite origin on .the day of Pentecost (Acts ii.), 
and that penitent believers were then commanded 
to be baptized for the remission of sins, seemed to 
him as a new revelation, accustomed as he had been 



RICH A RDSON IS BA P TIZED. 2 1 3 

to the confused ideas of the different parties on these 
subjects. 

" Upon searching out the import of the word bap- 
tism, after Mr. Scott's departure, he soon found it to 
be immersion, and perceived that, from trusting to 
human teachers, he had been previously deceived in 
regard to it. Resolving, therefore, from thenceforth 
to be directed by the Bible alone, he began a careful 
re-examination of it. Reflecting that whatever might 
be urged about 'apostolic succession/ there could 
be no flaw in the credentials of the apostles them- 
selves, and that they at least knew how to preach the 
gospel, he was convinced that had he and the whole 
world been present when Peter said, * Repent and be 
baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus 
Christ, for the remission of sins,' all would have been 
equally bound to obey, and that the case was in no- 
wise different now with those to whom this word of 
salvation came. There could be no danger of decep- 
tion or mistake in trusting to the words of one who 
'spake as the Holy Spirit gave him utterance,' and 
he therefore felt it to be his duty to submit to the 
divine requirements. Setting out accordingly, he, 
after a three days' journey, found Mr. Scott holding a 
meeting at a barn in Shalersville, on the Reserve, 
which he reached about two o'clock on the Lord's 
day, just after the audience had been dismissed. Six 
persons had come forward, and were preparing for 
baptism at the farm-house, and the doctor, pressing 
through the crowd, greatly surprised and delighted 
Mr. Scott by informing him that he had come to be 
baptized. After the immersion the meeting was re- 
sumed, and William Hayden addressed the oeople, his 



214 LTFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

discourse being the first the doctor heard from any 
preacher in the Reformation ; nor had he, before going 
down that day to the banks of the softly-flowing 
Cuyahoga, ever witnessed an immersion, having been 
led by the Word of God alone to take a solitary jour- 
ney of one hundred and twenty miles in order to 
render the obedience which it demanded, and to 
find in that obedience the fulfillment of the Divine 
promises, and a happy relief from the illusive hopes 
and fears, based on frames and feelings, which for 
several years had constituted his religious experience." 

The adoption of his views by one so capable of 
judging of their truth, and so able to defend them 
was, of course, highly gratifying to Mr. Scott, and 
the zeal and ability of the new convert soon showed 
that he was a more valuable accession than even his 
partial friend and tutor had supposed. 

Soon after his baptism, his pastor, the Rev. Dr. 
Hopkins, addressed him a letter of remonstrance and 
regret at the course he had taken, which called forth 
a reply, which, in a striking manner, set forth the 

weakness of a religion with much of a human admix- 

« 

ture, and the power of the simple and unadulterated 
truth ; or the weakness of a creed in comparison with 
the plain teachings of the Word of God. 

It was a happy circumstance that Mr. Richardson 
was so soon called upon to defend his faith, as it 
opened the way to a career of great usefulness ; for, 
since that time his pen has been almost constantly 
engaged upon many of the most important religious 
questions of the day; and among all the writers who 
have used their pens in the advocacy of the "Refor- 
mation" he is not only the most voluminous, but the 



BENTLE Y AND B OS WOR Til APPOINTED. 2 1 5 

most polished and graceful. He has been more 
closely identified with the movement set on foot by 
the joint labors of Campbell and Scott than any 
other man in our ranks, and will go down to posterity 
as the historian of one of the greatest religious move- 
ments of modern times. His whole life has been 
spent in literary, religious, and scientific research. 
For eighteen years he was Professor of Chemistry 
in Bethany College, and at the same time co-editor 
of the "Millennial Harbinger," one of the ablest ex- 
ponents of modern religious thought. The doctor 
also aided in the organization of the University of 
Kentucky from 1859 to ^63, and now, in the retire- 
ment of Bethphage, over-looking Bethany, he is still 
actively and usefully employed, ever and anon giving 
to the religious world, through the press, his best 
thoughts on the best of themes. May he be spared 
yet many years, and may his sun come to a golden 
setting. 

The report of Scott andHayden to the Association 
of their labors during the year was highly encourag- 
ing; and, as the work was constantly growing, and 
demands for preaching far above their ability to 
meet, Adamson Bentley and Marcus Bosworth were 
appointed to aid in the work. The latter had been 
led into the truth by hearing Scott at Braceville 
in 1827 or 1828, and proved to be a very successful 
preacher. He was a man of true piety and deep feel- 
ing ; the condition of lost sinners and the love of the 
Savior were themes that he could seldom touch with- 
out weeping, and, as a natural consequence, his un- 
affected tenderness would move his audience to tears. 
Of Elder Bentley we have already spoken at length 



2l6 



LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



as a pure man and an able minister, and certainly, 
in modern times, no four men ever produced such a 
revolution in public sentiment as did these in the 
field of their labors. 

The year passed by and the Association met, as it 
proved, for the last time as an ecclesiastical body, at 
Austintown. Over one thousand converts were re- 
ported ; a wide-spread and earnest religious interest 
had been awakened ; many of the new converts, full 
of love and zeal, were present, and all were full of 
joy and hope. Several Associations, especially those 
of Redstone and Beaver, had pursued a very arbitrary 
course, with regard to churches and individuals who 
could not accept fully all that was required by the 
Creed and Articles of Faith ; and the members of the 
Mahoning Association, fearing that such bodies might 
work much evil, brought up the question as to the 
scripturality of such organizations. Mr. Campbell 
thought such meetings under proper limitations might 
be useful, although opposed to them as church tribu- 
nals, .and as the churches of which the Mahoning 
Association was composed had been enlightened so 
far as to lay aside all human standards of faith and 
practice, he thought they were in no such danger as 
those who still retained them. A large majority, 
however, were opposed to the continuance of the 
Association ; so much tyranny had been exercised 
recently by bodies bearing that name, that it was felt 
necessary to have some decisive action on the matter. 
John Henry, who had been among the first to enter 
the ranks of reform, and was already quite influential, 
moved " that the Mahoning Association, as an ad- 
visory council, or an ecclesiastical tribunal, should 



THE MA HO XING ASSOCIA TION CEASES. 2 1 y 

cease to exist." This was in accordance with the 
general feeling, but Mr. Campbell thinking the course 
proposed too precipitate, was on the point of rising 
to oppose the motion, when Walter Scott, seeing the 
strong current in favor of it, went up to him, and, plac- 
ing a hand on each of his shoulders, begged him not to 
oppose the motion. He yielded ; the motion passed 
unanimously ; and it was then determined that, in the 
place of the Association, there should be an annual 
meeting for praise and worship, and to hear reports 
from laborers in the field of the progress of the good 
work. The first of these meetings was held at New 
Lisbon in the following year, and proved to be both 
pleasant and profitable, and they still continue with a 
like result. 

The action taken at Austintown may be regarded 
as the formal separation from the Baptists; up to this 
time the Association was a Baptist body, and the 
members of it Baptists, although many of their pecu- 
liarities had been abandoned in consequence of a 
better understanding of the Scriptures. Those Bap- 
tists who had embraced the new views, together with 
the new converts made, were called Campbellites, 
and by many Scottites ; but after the dissolution of 
the Association which was really brought about by 
the efforts of Scott, they were called Disciples. 

The wisdom of the course pursued in this has been 
questioned by some since then ; who thought, no 
doubt, that it would have been better to have re- 
mained with the Baptists, and leavened that body 
with their views ; but Scott ever regarded it as the 
wisest course, and assumed whatever responsibility 
there might be in the matter, claiming that it was at 
19 



2l8 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

his instance that John Henry introduced the motion, 
and that his own personal appeal to Alexander Camp- 
bell, prevented him from using his influence in op- 
position to the action, which really made those who 
had accepted the primitive gospel a new and distinct 
people. 

This was one of the marked eras in Elder Scott's 
career. His first step was to fix upon the divinity of 
Christ as the central and controlling thought of the 
New Testament, and which he afterwards demon- 
strated and illustrated with a strength and felicity that 
has never been surpassed. Next, he arranged the 
elements of the gospel in the simple and natural 
order of Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Remission of 
Sins, and Gift of the Holy Spirit; then made Bap- 
tism the practical acceptance of the gospel on the 
part of the penitent believer, as well as the pledge or 
assurance of pardon on the part of its author; and, 
in the course pursued at the last meeting of the Asso- 
ciation at Austintown, freed the Disciples from the 
last vestige of human authority, and placed them 
under Christ, with his Word for their guide. In this 
we see one of the most remarkable traits of Elder 
Scott's character; namely, his inflexibility of purpose. 
In minor matters affecting only some passing interest 
he often seemed wavering and weak of purpose, but 
in matters involving the truth of God, the salvation 
of the sinner, or the perfection of the. saint, he knew 
not what it was to yield his convictions, but pressed 
on to his purpose with a determination and persever- 
ance that has seldom been equaled. One who knew 
him well — the amiable Challen — thus notices this 
peculiarity, to which the attention of the reader has 



SCOTT'S FIRMNESS OF PURPOSE. 2IQ 

been directed : " In some things he was a perfect 
child, and again there was a loftiness and grandeur 
about him that struck the beholder with awe. He 
had, with a high-strung nervous temperament, as 
much moral courage as any man I have ever known ; 
and, therefore, he often did what other men would 
not dare to do, and was rarely defeated or success- 
fully baffled in his purposes. He had in him the 
spirit of the ancient prophets, and felt as if he had 
some great work to do in these latter times." The 
assaults of Luther upon the errors and corruptions 
of Rome were not more startling and bold than those 
of Scott upon the errors and evils of modern sec- 
tarianism ; the opposition aroused was as wide-spread 
in the latter case as "the former, and a few centuries 
earlier would have exposed him to no less danger 
than that which threatened the German monk. As 
it was, there was much with which he had to 
contend, the most unscrupulous misrepresentation 
and distortion both of his preaching and character. 
Communities were warned against him by ministers of 
all denominations, as if he were spreading the most 
destructive heresies, or madly endeavoring to destroy 
all faith in God and his Word, while really he was 
making Christ and him crucified his theme, and pre- 
senting to dying men not a dry, mouldy, and unsatis- 
fying theology, but the bread of life as offered to men 
in the very terms used by those whom the Savior 
commissioned to bear his glad gospel to the world. 
This opposition, however, awakened no anger in his 
breast ; it only served to increase his zeal and influ- 
ence, and fire his tongue with a warmer and diviner 
eloquence. He remembered how the Master had suf- 



220 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

fered at the hands of those whom he came to en- 
lighten and bless, and he felt sorrow and shed tears 
over those who were treating the servant as others 
had treated his Lord. 

Never was man more thoroughly absorbed in his 
work then he at this period of his history ; stimulated 
alike by wonderful success as well as by bitter and 
unrelenting opposition, he at times seemed almost 
transported to the heaven to which he was pointing 
his hearers. Not long since, the writer met an able 
and useful preacher, and asked him if "he had ever 
seen and heard Walter Scott ; with a shade of sadness 
in his manner, he said, " Yes." " What did you think 
of him ?" I pursued. "Ah," said he, "for one hour 
and a half, I was nearer heaven than ever before or 
since." 

R. R. Sloan, who was present at the time, relates 
the following: "Walter Scott, about 1829 or 1830, 
paid a visit to Western Virginia, and on one occa- 
sion preached in the woods between Wellsburg and 
Wheeling ; the audience was large, the preacher more 
than usually animated by his theme ;• near him sat 
Alexander Campbell, usually calm and self-contained, 
but in this case more fully under the influence of the 
preacher's eloquence than he had ever been of mortal 
man before ; his eye flashed and his face glowed as 
he heard him unfold the glories of redemption, the 
dignity and compassion of its author, and the honors 
that awaited those who would submit to his reign, 
until so filled with rapture and an admiration, not of 
the speaker, but of him who was his theme, that he 
cried out, 'Glory to God in the highest,' as the only 
way to relieve the intensity of his joy." Mr. Camp* 



DEA TH IN HIS FA MIL Y. 221 

bell was naturally not very demonstrative, and this 
was perhaps the only case in which his feelings so 
completely carried him away. 

Early in the next year, 183 1, Elder Scott returned 
to Pittsburg, and, soon after his arrival there, death, 
for the first time, entered into his family and bore 
one of the little flock — now five in number — away. 
This was his fourth child, and second daughter, Sarah 
Jane, then in her fourth year ; her loss was a great 
grief to her father, who was passionately fond of his 
children ; but he was consoled by the thought that 
she was in the keeping of him who, when on earth, 
loved and blessed little children, and, though now 
seated on his throne of glory, loves them still. 

In May of the same year he visited Cincinnati for 
the first time, and remained there three months, 
preaching to the congregation which up to that time 
had enjoyed the labors of Elder James Challen, under 
whose ministry it had greatly prospered. Although 
at this time in the prime of life, Elder Scott, in con- 
sequence of his severe and unremitting labors for the 
previous four years, almost broke down, being greatly 
afflicted with dyspepsia and its attendant, great depres- 
sion of spirits. His pulpit efforts during his stay were 
very unequal and generally far below those with which 
he had stirred the multitudes all over the Western 
Reserve ; the fame of these efforts had preceded him, 
and he failed in a great measure to meet the ex- 
pectations which had been awakened; he lacked, too, 
the inspiration of the presence and songs of the 
hundreds of converts that were often at his meet- 
ings on the Reserve, and audiences which often 
swelled to thousands, and more than all, the success 



222 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

which heretofore had attended his labors. Some- 
times, when but few were present, he would give a 
discourse of startling and overwhelming power. This 
would lead those who were present to use such 
efforts as would bring the elite of the city to hear 
him, but, on such occasions, greatly to the mortifica- 
tion of those who had exerted themselves to get such 
an audience together, he would disappoint expecta- 
tion, or wholly fail to do justice to himself or subject. 
Strange, however, as it may seem, these failures did 
not seem greatly to affect him. On one occasion an 
Elder of the church said to him, " How is it, Bro. 
Scott,- that when we don't expect any thing from you, 
you go beyond yourself, but when our hopes and wishes 
are the highest, you fall so low?" "Oh/' said he, "I 
don't know how it happens, but I feel that if I can 
not get it out of me at times, it is in me neverthe- 
less." And this perfect consciousness of power 
seemed to satisfy him. 

Elder Challen was then engaged in preaching in 
Louisiana, and up to that time had never met with 
his successor in the pulpit, and he was deeply affected 
on receiving from him an urgent and affectionate let- 
ter desiring him to return. "The flock," said he, 
"are sighing and pining for their former shepherd ; 
you must come back, you alone can satisfy them. I 
can not and will not consent to remain with them as 
long as there is any hope or prospect of your re- 
turn." Such courteous, Christian, and unselfish 
treatment won Challen back, and gained for Scott 
a firm and life-long friend. 

The evidences of power which he now and then 
gave were not without results, and in the following 



REPLIES TO ROBERT DALE OWEN. 223 

year he removed to Cincinnati, and remained there 
and in its immediate neighborhood for about four- 
teen years, and amply confirmed all the hopes that 
his most ardent friends had indulged with regard 
to him. 

Being aware that the state of his health rendered 
his public ministrations quite variable, he determined 
to speak to the public through the medium of the 
press, knowing that in this way he could render per- 
manently useful the great thoughts by which his 
heart was stirred, but which, when before an audience 
he could not always utter. Accordingly, he began 
the publication of his renowned monthly, the " Evan- 
gelist," in which was discussed and settled many of the 
religious questions of the day ; many of the essays 
which appeared in its pages were republished, not only 
in this country, but also in the old world ; and few 
writers have had the satisfaction of seeing their views 
so widely spread and so generally adopted as did he. 

Soon after the issue of his first number of the 
" Evangelist," the celebrated socialist, philosopher, and 
skeptic, Robert Dale Owen, visited Cincinnati, and 
delivered two lectures, both of which Mr. Scott at- 
tended, and though he had but a few hours in which 
to prepare a reply to the carefully prepared addresses 
of Mr. Owen ; he succeeded not only in rebuking his 
scoffs and sneers, but in a most masterly manner 
turned the tables upon him by directing his own 
arguments against himself. Mr. Campbell, but a 
short time before, had met Mr. Owen, Sen., in pub- 
lic debate, with signal success, and Mr. Scott now 
met the son, not, it is true, in a long-contested bat- 
tle like that to which we have alluded, but it was, 



224 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

nevertheless, a short and brilliant passage at arms, in 
which the Knight of Unbelief and Unreason went 
down at the first onset under the well-directed lance 
of the Red Cross Knight. 

We give Mr. Scott's account of this meeting, which 
is as remarkable for the fair statement of his an- 
tagonist's views, as for the vigor of his own exposure 
of their fallacy. "On the evenings of the 5th and 
6th of March, Robert Dale Owen read two discourses 
in the Court-house of this place to crowded audiences. 
The first on ' Free Inquiry,' the last on \ Religion.' 
We attended in the hope of hearing the great objects 
of human research, nature, society, and religion, set 
forth, separated, and defined after a manner suited to 
the title of his discourses ; in this, however, we were 
completely disappointed. The second lecture was, 
in our estimation, at least, devoid of dignity, and 
consisted chiefly in vulgar raillery concerning those 
whom he styled the 'Reverend Clergy.' No line 
of demarkation at all was drawn between simple 
Christianity, as it came from the hands of its author, 
and the enormous corruptions to which, in the lapse 
of time, it has been subjected. Paul and the Pope 
were equally the objects of his rebuke, inuendo, and 
scorn. The excellent Watson, of Landaff, says, 
' That a philosopher or inquirer after truth forfeits 
ail reputation with me when he introduces railing for 
reason, and vulgar and illiberal sarcasm in the room 
of argument.' As it was the season of 'Free In- 
quiry,' we could not help standing up, and reading a 
few things relative to the logic of some points of his 
first discourse ; we intended to give a review of the 
whole of it, but lacked both time and opportunity of 



/ 



REPLIES TO ROBERT DALE OWEN. 225 

doing so, the manuscript being left but a few hours 
in our hands. We read as follows : Mr. Owen, I was 
present last evening when you spoke on 'Free En- 
quiry.' I had then some observations in preparation, 
and should, perhaps, have spoken them, but such was 
the bustle excited by the draft you made on the na- 
tional and religious feelings of certain individuals 
present that I deemed it most proper to be silent ; 
I thought I perceived, too, an unwillingness among 
the 'Free Inquirers' to admit of free inquiry into the 
merits of what had been spoken. ' After you had fin- 
ished, I took the liberty to introduce myself, and re- 
quested the favor of your manuscript ; you very 
politely acceded to my wishes and gave me the dis- 
course. I have written strictures on certain portions 
of it, which with your liberty and that of the audi- 
ence, I shall now read. 'All inquiry, whether fet- 
tered or free, must terminate ultimately on Nature, 
Society, and Religion ; but who are the great masters 
here ? who have inquired most freely into Nature, 
into Society, into Religion ? who are the great fa- 
thers of the philosophy of Matter — the philosophy 
of Mind — the philosophy of Religion ? were they 
men who despised Religion, who sneered at the be- 
liever? Mr. Owen would have us believe there is 
virtue in great names. I ask again, then, who are 
those that have inquired most freely into Nature, 
Society, and Religion ? Natural science claims as 
her peculiar ornaments, Sir Isaac Newton, Ferguson, 
Bacon, Boyle ; Moral Science is adorned by the tal- 
ents of Locke, Berkley, Reid, Stewart, and Brown ; 
Religious Science claimes the homage of all these, 



226 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

and more, too: Milton, Young, Cowper, Spencer, 
Johnson, Rush, Berkley, Mead, and Warburton.' 

"The following, in the conclusion of Mr. Owen's 
speech, was peculiarly emphasized: 'And be one 
thing remembered, when men talk of the heartless- 
ness and demoralizing tendency of skepticism ; when 
they cry out about the licentious influence of unbe- 
lief; when, in sweeping phrase, they denounce all 
heretics as profligates, mischief-makers, disorganizers, 
and wicked men ; then, then, in the hour of assault 
and abuse, be it boldly said, be it faithfully remem- 
bered, that Jefferson, that Franklin, that Adams, that 
Monroe, that Washington, were all skeptics, heretics, 
infidels, whichever of the meaningless terms Ortho- 
doxy may be pleased to select ; and that when honest 
dissenters from popular creeds are thus denounced as 
the children of the Devil, Americans, the Revolu- 
tionary Fathers ! her best, her bravest, her noblest, 
are expressly included in the denunciation ! ' It is a 
poor rule that does not work both ways. In humble 
imitation of the rhetoric of Mr. Owen, then, allow me, 
of your clemency, my fellow-countrymen, to say, Be 
one thing remembered, when men, as he does, talk 
of the heartlessness and demoralizing tendency of 
religion ; when they cry out about the licentious in- 
fluence of belief ; when, in sweeping phrase, they 
denounce all such as profligates, mischief-makers, 
enemies to free inquiry, and wicked men ! then, then, 
in the hour of assault and abuse, be it boldly said, be it 
faithfully remembered, that Newton, that Locke, that 
Boyle, that Bacon, were believers, Christians, orthodox 
priests, or whatever of the meaningless terms skep- 
' ticism may be pleased to select ; and that when honest 



AN INFIDEL ANSWERED. 227 

dissenters from the skeptic's creed are thus denounced 
as the children of the devil ; that is, the skeptic's devil, 
Americans, the fathers of mankind, the fathers of 
all true light in Nature, Society, and Religion, are 
expressly included in the denunciation. 

14 Mr. Owen observes, ' That simple argument is the 
means, and the only means, which one man ever ought 
or ever need to use, to correct the sentiments of an- 
other. Truth disclaims every support.' 

"Now, Mr. Owen's discourse is entitled 'FREE 
INQUIRY ; ' I would ask, then, what simple argu- 
ment calculated to correct the sentiment of a believer 
who knows any thing of proof and proposition ; what 
argument related even to his own proposition is there 
in his dastardly appeals from all manhood to manless- 
ness ; from the great and honorable virtues of rever- 
ence and veneration for the Maker of the heavens 
and earth, to a blind, bending, beggarly oblation of 
all reason and common sense, which he would in- 
sinuate is the indissoluble concomitant of religious 
belief? To be led by some one is to man perfectly 
natural, and skeptics know it, too ; it is a part of the 
constitution of things under which man makes his 
entrance upon the stage of time. We first have 
fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, relatives, 
friends, acquaintances, fellow-citizens, and fellow- 
men ; then come our school teachers, also, for skep- 
ticism has led some of them as far away from his 
works, as it has led others from his word ; then come 
the remoter and higher relations of general govern- 
ment for the full-grown man ; so that there is nothing 
in our natural and social constitution of things to 
render the idea of a guide or instructor abhorrent to 



228 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

us. It never startled me to hear of instructors in Nature, 
Society, and Religion. Nature led me strongly to desire 
such aids, and I sought them greedily ; but, mark me, 
fellow-citizens, the man who solicits my attention now ; 
the personage to whom I shall now give my hand, or 
head, or heart, for tutorage, must be of grave consid- 
eration ; not a boy, not a raw youth — a true man, 
who, by his labors in nature, society, and religion, 
has demonstrated to my fellow-men, and to me, that 
he understands himself what he affects to teach others ; 
not one neither, who shall anticipate with a sneer my 
' free inquiries ' into any of these high matters; not 
one who shall take for granted what he ought first to 
prove, and follow me, like the man. with the birch in 
his hand, brandishing over my unenlightened reason 
the terrors of a contemptible petitio principio. Listen 
to what follows : 

" ' And it [inquiry] must be fearless. The disciple of free 
inquiry works not out his salvation in fear and trembling, 
but in boldness and self possession. Fear may be the friend 
of orthodoxy ; it is the foe of truth. Before the throne of 
heaven we may kneel, our eyes closed and our reason pros- 
trated ; before the throne of truth we must stand erect, our 
eyes open and our judgments awake. As believers, we 
may tremble and submit ; as inquirers, we must arise and 
examine ! ' 

" What a worse than trembling, what a painful and 
oppressive apprehension is communicated here of that 
religion whose very first essay on the heart is to fill 
it with that love of God and man which casteth out 
fear ! truly the interpretation is one of a thousand ! 
And so Locke, and Bacon, and Newton, did but bow 



AN INFIDEL ANSWERED. 220) 

to God in the absence of light, and reason, and bold- 
ness, and self-possession, and all other virtues which 
attach to man ! The apostle censuring some of the 
believers for entertaining too little respect for their 
fellows, and for a confident and, perhaps, pharisaical 
feeling (for believers, like unbelievers, can be phari- 
saical), tells such to work out their salvation with 
reverence and trembling ; gentlemen, ought we not to 
reverence the rights and characters of one another; 
ought we un tremblingly to arrogate superiority over 
our fellow-men and despise them ? I think not ; 
surely you think not ; and the Bible says not ! and 
the weak and unworthy attitude which is here given 
to the apostle's words only demonstrate how nearly a 
prejudiced heart is associated with an unbelieving 
head. 

" Mr. Owen says : ' It boots not curiously to inquire 
when and how man first sprung into being, or why 
he is destined thus faithfully, and gradually, to 
emerge from the night of error and ignorance ; 
enough that he now exists/ Enough, indeed. What 
means this term enough ? Enough of inquiry ! This 
is strange, 'tis passing strange to me ! Does Mr. 
Owen recollect Mount Athos ; does he recollect the 
anecdote of Xerxes and the Hellespont ; the story of 
Canute, his courtiers, and the ocean ? if he does, then 
let him also remember, that ' the mind is a Mount 
Athos, which no despot can hew down and cast into 
the sea, be it ever so audacious ; it is a Hellespont, 
whose waves may be scourged, but can not be 
shackled or confined by chains ; it is an ocean, whose 
tides rise irresistibly, whether the sovereign set his 
chair on the beach or not ! ' Christianity knows noth- 



230 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

ing about 'enough' of inquiry. In this life man pre- 
sents himself as a centre-point to all the relations of 
the past and future, and his very life and happiness lies 
in the contemplation of things that are behind and 
things that are before ; the present is with him a mere 
stepping-stone from the first to the last, and from the 
last to the first, of these regions of thought. He 
likes not always to look before, he likes not 
always to look behind ; but to both of them he will 
look, and to dare to cut him off from either is to do' 
violence to human nature ; it is to make a schism in 
the mind, and, in folly, can be equaled only by him 
who, by dividing and subdividing a board, would hope, 
finally, to obtain a rectangular figure, with one side, 
with one surface, What ! prevent man from inquir- 
ing into the past with a reference to his origin ? as 
well might you forbid him to look ahead to his final 
destiny. ' It boots not curiously to inquire when and 
how man first sprang into being, etc. ; ' be it so ; but 
as well may Mr. Owen tell the lovers of science, ' It 
boots not curiously to inquire into the sources of the 
Nile ; and with as fair prospects may he hope to see 
the time when men will sit down and take no care for 
the future, as to hope the time is at hand when men 
will forget to inquire, and to believe, and to rejoice, in 
the past as respects their own origin.'" 

He then carried the war into the enemy's country, 
by showing what skepticism had done for the world 
in ancient times by filling it with false gods, and 
pointed to its results in infidel France, when the 
guillotine did its fearful work, until the gutters of 
Paris ran red with the blood of its best citizens. He 
vindicated Christianity from the charge of persecution, 



AN IMPORTANT ADMISSION. 231 

showing that the religion of Jesus taught its followers 
to suffer, and not inflict it — to be martyrs, and not to 
make them — and that it was free from the blood of all 
men. 

After the discussion, Mr. Scott addressed a letter 
to Mr. Owen, asking the question, "Are not the max- 
ims of our blessed Redeemer wholly at variance with 
the absurdities and abuses which you rebuked in your 
lectures ? " To which he made the manly and honest 
reply : " To your question regarding Jesus' approval 
of priestly encroachment, I answer, without hesita- 
tion, that I conceive him to be as much opposed to it 
as any Reformer of the present day ; " in substance, 
admitting that it was not Christianity, but its abuses 
that he was attacking ; and to these abuses Mr. Scott 
was not less hostile than himself. 



2 32 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Removes to Carthage — The little Sunday-school girl — The village rep- 
robate — Great success — A remarkable meeting. 

NOT long after his removal to Cincinnati, Mr. 
Scott made another change to Carthage, about 
eight miles north of the city, where he remained for 
about thirteen years. He visited this village several 
times before his removal, and the success which at- 
tended his labors, doubtless, had much to do with 
making it his home. Although pleasantly situated, 
there was little about Carthage to make it agreeable 
as a residence ; all the vices of the country village of 
forty or fifty years ago flourished there ; drunkenness, 
profanity, idleness, and neglect of the public and private 
duties of religion were common, and the store and 
the groggery were the chief places of resort. Fishing 
and hunting were common on Sunday, as well as 
coarse jesting and unseemly merriment among those 
within the tavern or under the trees that shaded its 
door. The single redeeming feature was a Sunday- 
school, with which was connected an incident of in- 
terest that took place on Scott's first visit. 

In one of the classes was a bright girl of about 
thirteen years of age, who, with others, had to find 
an answer to the question "What shall I do to be 
saved?" In searching the Bible she fell upon the 
case of the Jews on Pentecost, who, when pricked to 
the heart by the preaching of the gospel by Peter, cried 



A SCENE IN SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 233 

out, " Men and brethren what shall we do ?" The an- 
swer given by the apostle to this inquiry seemed to 
this child the proper reply to the question to be an- 
swered at the Sunday-school. The day came, the 
class was questioned, but none save she had any an- 
swer ready, and she, with a feeling of childish triumph, 
repeated the answer of the apostle : "Repent, and be 
baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, 
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift 
of the Holy Ghost." Instead of a smile and words 
of approval from her teacher, she saw, from her cold 
manner and averted look, that in some way she had 
failed to give a satisfactory answer, and in her disap- 
pointment she covered, her face with her hands and 
wept. Soon the lesson was over, and the superin- 
tendent began to ask questions, and, smiling through 
her tears, she thought she yet might be able to give 
the answer, and find the approval from him which 
she had, for some reason, failed to gain from her own 
teacher ; and, sure enough, from his lips came the 
question, "What must a man do to be saved?" All 
were silent, and the time for her triumph had come ; 
she rose and read the words of Scripture again, and 
again was doomed to disappointment ; the superin- 
tendent gave a cold, unsympathizing look and turned 
away ; and again the poor child wept, and wondered 
why her answer was not approved. 

Just after this occurrence, Elder Scott preached in 
the village school-house, and the little Sunday-school 
scholar was among his hearers ; to her surprise and 
delight he took for his text the very passage she had 
read in Sunday-school, and which had been so coldly 
received, and proposed to show from it how the sin- 
20 



234 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

ner must be saved. As he proceeded, she found that 
the strange preacher regarded the passage as she did, 
and was highly elated, and yet she could not but won- 
der why the passage should have produced such cold 
and averted looks, as it had done at the Sunday-school, 
when there it w T as in the Bible, and the preacher said 
that it meant what it said. At the close of the discourse 
he announced that he would return and preach again 
in four weeks ; he did so, but he preached this time, 
not in the school-house, but in a barn ; the audience 
in the barn was greater than it had been in the school- 
house, and among his hearers, more interested than 
ever, was the little Sunday-school girl. The truth, 
as it came from his lips, was so sweet and simple, 
and, withal, so much like her Bible, that when he 
urged his hearers to follow its teachings implicitly, 
she timidly arose, and, approaching the preacher, 
expressed her wish to be baptized. He asked her 
several questions which were answered with an in- 
telligence beyond her years, and, feeling that she 
understood her duty, promised to baptize her at 
the close of the meeting. The meek spirit of 
obedience manifested by the child aroused him to 
press the claims of the gospel upon those of riper 
years, and six men arose and followed the example 
set by the sweet child, and with her were baptized on 
confession of their faith in the Lord Jesus. 

These proved to be the first fruits of a great har- 
vest that was soon gathered ; many of the most influen- 
tial people in the vicinity heard and obeyed the glad gos- 
pel ; the reformation spread through the whole com- 
munity, and Carthage soon became as famous for 



A PEN PORTRAIT. 235 

temperance, zeal, and piety, as it had formerly been 
for their opposites. 

Among the converts was one who had long held 
in the village an unenviable notoriety — a poor fellow, 
who was regarded as the most hopeless of an exceed- 
ingly irreligious and immoral population. He was a 
clever, dissipated good-for-nothing ; the chief actor 
in every scene of fun, frolic, or mischief; so much 
so, that he has been thought worthy of a sketch at 
the hands of a fine word-painter, who pictures him 
to his readers as follows, under the name of Parker, 
and in connection with it gives a sketch of Elder 
Scott, then in his prime, under the name of Philip. 

"If there was a cock-fight or a man-fight on the tapis, 
Parker was sure to be there, and took always an active 
part; and in the absence of one of the pugilists of the 
genus homo, he was ready to try his hand. And at a foot- 
race, or a donkey-race, or a quarter-nag, he was regarded 
as one of the most important personages in the village. 
And in the frequent routs and balls, which, in the winter 
season, were deemed indispensable to the rising genera- 
tion, Parker was the chief actor. Or if a hen-roost was 
to be disturbed, or an old gobbler was to be uncrowned, 
or any other petty mischief to be done, he might be fully 
depended on. No mad-cap leader, even of a coterie of 
college lads, by acclamation, was ever admitted to this 
honor with readier will than Parker, and he was particu- 
larly proud of his 'bad eminence.' He could take a hand 
at any thing ; he was good at a joke, could tell as 
long yarns as any of his neighbors, could set the 'table 
in a roar,' and could drink as much stone-fence as any 
Other lover of this kind of geology. He was a good- 
natured, waggish, witty, ignorant, knowing, rampant 
fellow, the terror of all the good women and little chil- 



2 $6 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

dren of the neighborhood, and the scape-goat of all the 
sins of the villagers. But Parker was not without his good 
points and. generous impulses. If any of his companions 
were in distress he was ready to help him ; or sick, to nurse 
him; or dead, to lay him out, and make arrangements for 
the funeral; and if he was not the chief mourner, he, at 
least, was the grave-digger. 

"It is worthy of remark that, even among the worst 
specimens of humanity there are some good points; none 
are sunk so low but that they might sink lower — none so 
depraved but that they might receive a still darker hue. 
The seeds of paradise still slumber in the clods, and the 
sunshine and the moisture will sometimes start them into a 
new life. It was thus with Parker ; bad as he was he might 
have been worse. 

"It was announced in the village in which Parker lived, 
that a strange preacher was soon to be there, and would 
hold a series of meetings, such as are common in the West, 
and which have resulted often in so much good in dissipat- 
ing the worldliness which surrounds the people, and diffus- 
ing a purer, healthier atmosphere favorable to their spirit- 
ual improvement and growth. The meeting was held in 
an old brick school-house, dirty and dark ; and when the 
interest increased, and the congregation became too large 
to be accommodated, it was moved to a barn fragrant with 
the odor of the new-mown hay. 

"The preacher was a Scotchman, in the prime of life, 
about five feet seven inches high, with a thin face, high 
cheek bones, a large, projecting nose, and finely chiseled 
upper lip, and an eye of the eagle — sleepy when at rest, 
but filled with the beams of the sun when awakened. His 
.hair was black as the wing. of the raven, and as glossy, 
which hung rather carelessly upon his ample brow, revealing 
to the eye a forehead of singular beauty, on which wit and 
benevolence, reason and invention, sat enthroned. In all 
respects Philip, for that is the name we choose to call him, 



PHILIP— THE PREACHER. 237 

was a great man. The writer has often heard him, and he 
can say that, at times, for the originality of his conceptions, 
the richness of his language, the variety of his thoughts, 
the sublimity of his imagery, and the lofty reach of his 
oratory, he has seldom or ever known him surpassed. 
He was not always equal to himself, but if he failed at any 
time — and who does not — he was consoled with the thought 
that the fire still burned deep in the ^Etna of his mind, 
even though the smoke was not seen, or the flames did not 
shoot up portentously to the darkened heavens, or the lava 
pour from his lips. We hope that the reader will not 
think this a mere fancy sketch. It is drawn from life, 
though not to the life ; for we regret that the preacher 
had not some one better able to draw out more fully the 
lineaments of his character. He was a speaker combining 
much of the genius of Edward Irving, with the Titan 
tread of Robert Hall, and the graphic powers of Sir Wal- 
ter Scott ; and sometimes, at the close of an address, he 
would give a burst of oratory, scattering gems as if the air 
was filled with the fragments of a globe of crystals, or as 
if the sun had looked out from a cloud, still shedding its 
rain-drops upon the moistened earth ; he would then lift 
his audience into a sweet surprise, captivating every sense 
by the mellowness of his voice, the gentle grace of his 
motions, the scintillations of his wit, and the grandeur of 
his imagery. 

"But we will not forget Parker, for the time had come 
when this uproarious and fun-loving hero of my story was 
about to feel the keen arrows of conviction, and the sub- 
duing influence of the gospel of Christ, at the meeting of 
which we have spoken. The preacher was almost wholly 
unknown to the community ; a few had seen him, perhaps 
heard him. He had gathered laurels, however, on other . 
fields, and he was now about to try his powers upon the 
little village of Carthage, but he knew that what had con- 
quered such large masses to the truth elsewhere would not 



238 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

fail, by the help of the Lord, to do something here, and 
he commenced his labors. 

" We know not what impressions his first efforts had upon 
the population, or what were the promises of success, but 
the results were glorious. The village was converted, and 
the gospel sounded abroad in the neighborhood ; and the 
fruit of his labors may be seen to this day. The whole 
population was leavened with the doctrine of eternal life, 
and the beautiful chapel, which still stands in the village, and 
the willing worshipers which crowd its gates, attest the 
wonders which he wrought, and the strength of the prin- 
ciples he advocated. Parker was enrolled among the 
saved. What induced him to attend the meeting we know 
not ; perhaps mere curiosity, the novelty of the occasion, 
the reputed eloquence of the preacher, the love of excite- 
ment, or the number of converts which were being made. 
He took his seat far back in the crowded room ; he listened 
as he had never done before ; the recollections of his past 
misspent life came up before him ; his conscience was 
quickened and enlightened ; the truth penetrated like a 
sword into the depths of his heart ; he saw his lost, he felt 
his undone condition, and welcomed the means of his 
recovery. 

"The very first discourse stripped him of his armor, and 
left him shivering as a guilty culprit. He was ready to 
yield at once, but prudence, or, perhaps, shame forbade 
that he should publicly acknowledge it. But there was 
seen at home that night, at the early approach to his door, 
and the sober cast of his countenance,, that some strange 
influences were at work upon him ; and his wife, though she 
discovered the change, and probably knew the cause, and 
inwardly delighted in it, did not seem to notice it. The 
next morning Parker was up betimes, and busied himself 
about the house, and the garden, and wood-pile. He was 
particularly kind and gracious in his whole demeanor ; and 
it was seen, with heartfelt satisfaction, that he did not visit 



PARKER'S CONVERSION. 239 

that morning the tap-room to get his accustomed dram — a 
thing unknown in the memory of the family. He did not 
associate during the day with his old companions, nor 
visit his favorite haunts, but was thoughtful, and serious, 
and taciturn. Unfortunately for him, he could not read, 
or he might have spent the day less tediously. His 
thoughts were busy until night with the new things he had 
heard ; and the hidden principles of the gospel were 
struggling with the perverted affections of his soul, and 
achieving a victory over his wicked habits. 

"Night came; again might you have seen the villagers, 
well-clad, pouring out from their houses — the rich and the 
poor — to the place of meeting. ^And from the country 
carriages and wagons, full to repletion, were gather- 
ing together, as at some great festival. Parker was in the 
crowd, and took his seat again at the far end of the house, 
and heard the discourse with marked attention, and, at the 
close of the sermon, he made his way through the dense 
mass, and stood before the preacher, who looked upon him 
with surprise and astonishment. No one was prepared for 
such an event, and as he passed through the congregation 
they gave way with singular promptitude to the ' publican 
and sinner.' If I recollect right, there were only two of 
the brethren willing to receive him, but the prejudices of 
the congregation were allayed by the cordiality with which 
he was received by them,, and he was soon admitted among 
the converts, and proved to be an active, zealous, and 
faithful member. 

"Many are the anecdotes told of him after his conversion, 
some of which are quite characteristic. He used to seek 
out his old companions in folly and crime, and pursue 
them to their miserable haunts, and urge them to reform, 
and become men. 'See,' said he, 'what Christianity has 
done for me; I was as great a sinner as any of you; a 
drunkard, a swearer, a gambler ; poor, miserable, and 
wretched ; but now I am redeemed from my former ways 



24O LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

and have become a man. I have learned to read ' — his 
wife taught him — 'I have plenty of work, and can feed 
and clothe my family decently, and have not only a 
good conscience and a blessed hope, but the best of 
society and the best of cheer. Try the value of the gos- 
pel. It is good for every thing — having promise of the life 
that now is, and also of that which is to come.' And his 
labor in this new field was not in vain. Once, after his 
conversion, he went out to the harvest-field — for he was a 
famous worker — and his old friends, who were waiting for 
his apostasy, and anxious for it, had supplied themselves 
with the accustomed quantity of the ' fire-water ; ' seeing 
Parker approaching, with a large jug swinging on his arm, 
they began to wink and chuckle among themselves, sup- 
posing that the temptation of the harvest-field on a hot 
day would be too strong for his new temperance habits. 
When he came nigh them, they hailed his approach, and 
each eyed with special pleasure his jug, and asked to share at 
once its contents, supposing it filled with the choicest old 
Monongahela. ' I never have refused the call,' said Parker ; 
' it is at your service; come, ' said he, ' and drink ; but you 
must take it as I do, unmixed,' and by the word of mouth — 
'drink, gentlemen.' The first who took hold of the jug 
drank a large draught, but soon turned away from it as a 
' guilty thing.' It was buttermilk I " 

The cases just mentioned serve to show the ver- 
satility of Elder Scott's talent in thus bringing the 
gospel to the comprehension of a little child, and 
making its power to be felt by poor ignorant Parker, 
enslaved by his appetities and steeped in sin ; and, 
oh! how tenderly he cared for them, and bore them 
up before the throne in earnest prayer ; nor did they 
forget him and the lessons he taught. Parker was a 
faithful Christian man when last heard from, and the 



A BIG MEETING. 24 1 

little girl, now an aged Christian matron, after the 
lapse of nearly half a century, speaks tenderly of him 
who so lovingly and earnestly pointed her to the Lamb 
of God. 

As intimated in the extract quoted, a large and 
prosperous church was established, the best families 
in the community were reached, and many have gone 
out from Carthage to bless other localities in the 
distant West. After the meeting above mentioned, 
the church, though happy and peaceful, did not grow 
as rapidly as Elder Scott desired ; he had been ac- 
customed for some years before to preach at a great 
many places in the course of a year, and scarcely a 
week passed without some being brought to Christ 
through his labors ; and though he was doing a good 
work in teaching the Disciples who had been gath- 
ered in Carthage, he felt the need of the stimulus of 
success to which he had been so long accustomed. 
In later life, he learned that it was as great a work 
to develop a true Christian life in the converts, as 
to persuade them to enter upon the Christian profes- 
sion ; but at that period of his history frequent con- 
versions were necessary to his usefulness. To arouse 
the public mind, and secure the success so much 
desired, it was resolved, after a free consultation with 
the church, to have a meeting to continue for several 
days in succession, to which the ablest ministers 
among the Disciples were to be invited. L. H. 
Jameson, who was present, gives the following ac- 
count of the meeting : 

" It was appointed to take place in September. It was 
published in the 'Evangelist,' and when the time came, 
21 



242 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

there met John T. Johnson and Benjamin Finnell, from 
Kentucky, John O'Kane and L. H. Jameson, from Indiana, 
B. U. Watkins, and several others, from Ohio, whose 
names are not remembered now. Preaching was held in 
the grove during the day, and in the big school-house at 
night. Meetings were held three times a day. The preaching 
was by Johnson and O'Kane, the exhortations and sing- 
ing by the young men and church. Bro. Scott presided over 
the movement, but took no very active part. The crowds 
were large, but the people seemed to be stupefied with sur- 
prise at what they saw and heard. There seemed to be 
no prospect for any fruit. Johnson preached at 10 a. m. 
in the grove ; Ben. Finnell at 3 p. m., same place, but with- 
out results. The woods were literally full of people. On 
Lord's-day night, O'Kane preached in the school-house to 
a great crowd in-doors and out. Invitations were given, 
songs were sung, and earnest exhortations were offered, 
but not a soul moved. Bro. Scott then quietly arose and 
began to speak about as follows : - My friends and dearly 
beloved, I have been living among you, and trying to 
preach the gospel to you, for sometime past. I have ob- 
served that, for some reason or other, my humble ministra- 
tions of the glorious gospel of Christ had ceased to-be 
effective. I felt unable to divine the reason. It occurred 
to me, that it might be for the reason that you had some 
objections to the man. Under this impression, I deter- * 
mined to get out of the way; and so we appointed this 
meeting. We sent for faithful men to come and assist 
us. They have come, and they have preached and ex- 
horted ; they have sung and prayed, and entreated with 
tears, and all to no purpose. Not one of you have been 
moved. I have taken no part in the matter of preaching 
or exhorting* myself, simply for the reason that I did not 
intend to be in the way. But now, after all that has been 
said and done, I have come to this conclusion, that your 
stupid indifference is not owing to any objections you have 



A BIG MEETING. 243 

to me, nor yet to the men who have been laboring before 
you, but solely to your own cruel hard-heartedness. I am 
perfectly astonished at you ! I am confounded ! I don't 
know what to make of you ! What can I say to you after 
all that has been said by these dear brethren ? Are you 
not ashamed of yourselves ? to sit here from day to day, 
and from night to night, listening to such reasonings, to 
such appeals, without being moved. What can be the 
matter with you ? Is it because you are destitute of com- 
mon intelligence ? Or is it because you are utterly care- 
less with regard to your own eternal interests? Have you 
no fear of the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity? 
Are you. not afraid that Jehovah may turn upon you in his 
wrath, and say, as he did to Israel of old: <c If I lift up 
my hand to heaven, and say I live forever ! If I whet my 
glittering sword, and my hand take hold on judgment, I 
will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward 
them that hate me." And, oh, my friends, who will be 
able to bear the lighting down of his arm ? Are you dis- 
posed to defy the Omnipotent to arms? To engage in 
fearful and unequal war with the Eternal ? To hurl your- 
selves against the bosses of Jehovah's buckler, and so to 
meet certain and eternal overthrow? He calls in mercy 
to-night; how can you dare to refuse? He stretches out 
his hand; how can you disregard him? Are you not 
afraid to trifle with his grace ? Are you not afraid that he 
will break forth upon you like a lion, and rend you to 
pieces? Do you not fear lest he might come suddenly 
forth out of his place and cut you asunder, and appoint 
you your portion with hypocrites and unbelievers? Oh, 
my friends, for God's sake, and for your own soul's salva- 
tion sake, be persuaded, be constrained, by the love of 
Christ, to be reconciled to God. Is it so, oh, my 
•neighbors and friends, that the grace of God, and the love 
of Christ, all the sacrifices of Divine mercy, in your be- 
half, are to be in vain ? Can you consent to trample the 



244 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

heart's blood of Jesus under foot ? Can you deliberately 
determine to do despite to the Spirit of Grace ? Can you 
consent to fill the very heavens with lamentations, rather 
than joy on your account? "As I live, saith the Lord, 
I delight not in the death of the sinner, but rather that 
he would turn and live!" Turn you! turn you! Oh, 
my friends, for why will you die? -The Father calls; the 
Son calls ; the Spirit and the Bride call. Say, my friends, 
will you come? Brethren, we will afford these poor 
sinners one more opportunity before we part. Surely 
some of them will be constrained to obey. Sing, breth- 
ren ! ' 

"The effect of this appeal. was wonderful. The entire 
audience was astir. The first notes of the song were 
scarcely uttered before some of the best citizens of the 
place presented themselves to make the confession. The 
brethren, who thought, while the speech was being deliv- 
ered, that Bro. Scott was ruining every thing, that the 
people would be excited to madness against him, were all 
taken aback. From being crouched down in their seats 
with shame and chagrin, while he was speaking, they were 
on their feet, in a moment, when they saw the unexpected 
result, singing with faces covered all over with smiles and 
moistened with tears. 

" It is now within a few months of forty years since that 
night meeting took place. Almost all that took part in it 
are in another world to-day. But I venture to affirm, that 
to the latest day of the life of the dead, as to the last hour 
of the life of the living who were there, Walter Scott's 
triumph was, and will be, remembered. Never before had 
we seen so vividly depicted the majesty, the fearfulness, 
the glory, the love, the mercy, and the grace of the great 
God, and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Never before had sin 
been portrayed in so loathsome a garb, and those who 
persisted in it made to appear so mean. The manner of 
the speaker was all that the utterances required. Some- 



EFFECTS OF SCOTT'S ADDRESS. 245 

times as gentle as an evening zephyr, in a moment a dark 
cloud, flaming with lightning, overshadowed the heavens, 
and the rushing storm was heard, leveling every thing in 
its course ; then gentle, and tender, and inviting again. 
The speech was short, consequently, the transitions had to 
be quickly made. He did it, and he did it well." 

The meeting was protracted for several days, and 
some thirty or forty additions made to the church. Nor 
was the feeling thus aroused a transient one, prosperity 
attended the labors of Scott, and in about two years after 
his first visit, the church which he had planted num- 
bered two hundred souls. 



246 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Abundant labors — Hospitality — Liberality — Teaching the Scriptures in his 
family — Washes a brother's feet — Tribute to B. W. Stone — Thomas 
Campbell and Alexander Campbell — Treatment of young preachers — 
Good news from other fields. 

THE labors of Elder Scott at this period of his 
life; were extremely arduous ; calls for preaching 
at various points were incessant and urgent; and this 
portion of his work would have been sufficient for 
most men. In addition to this, was the preparation 
of material for his paper, the " Evangelist," which was 
steadily growing in public favor ; a constant tide of 
visitors also claimed much of his time, and every 
mail brought letters of inquiry with regard to the 
great questions to which the new movement had 
given rise. His home was a very humble one, and 
his means extremely limited, yet to all comers there 
was extended a warm and generous hospitality — 
a hospitality which the thousands who partook of 
it will never forget. The fare, it is true, was often 
humble, but the hearty welcome, which never was 
wanting, made the simplest meal a rich banquet. 

He seldom possessed any thing beyond what was 
needed for the present and pressing wants, any sur- 
plus was sure to go to those who were more needy 
than himself, and often the wants of such seemed to 
be more keenly felt than his own. More than once 
he returned home with an empty basket from the 



SCOTT'S LIBERALITY. 247 

market, having given the money with which it was 
to have been rilled to some needy one, either a friend 
or stranger, which, it mattered not, provided only 
that the need was great. Once, and once only, he 
was the possessor of two cows, but this did not long 
continue, for a poor neighbor had none, but soon 
they were on an equality, having one each ; and, as a 
gift he thought-should be a good one, the neighbor 
got the best cow; but his children complained at this 
somewhat, not that he had given away a cow, but 
that he had given the one that wore the bell. 

Amid all his cares and labors he was not unmind- 
ful of the spiritual needs of his own little flock, five 
in number — four sons and one daughter — knowing 
that they would be saved or condemned as they 
obeyed or disobeyed the truth. With the feeling and 
providence of a wise man and kind father, he was 
careful to have them instructed in the truth, know- 
ing that a human being is incapable of either obey- 
ing, believing, or understanding the Scriptures unless 
pains be taken for that purpose. The course pur- 
sued in his family may be gathered from a single 
morning scene, which was not an unusual, but a cus- 
tomary one. While breakfast was in preparation, 
all the family, except those who attended to the 
victuals, including some guests that were present, 
were intensely busy in committing to memory the 
Holy Scriptures. After breakfast, the first to quit 
the table, and run from the breakfast-room to the 
parlor, was a child two years of age. The rest fol- 
lowed until the entire family were seated in the same 
apartment and here was displayed a scene as primi- 
tive, lovely, pure, and holy, as ever opened on mortal 



248 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

eyes. The family being thus assembled for religious 
instruction, at a look from his father, the eldest son, 
ten years of age, with a steady, unfaltering voice, 
began the song which the children of Israel sung 
upon the shores of deliverance, when they had by 
the mercy of God passed the perils of the Red Sea; 
" I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed 
gloriously ; the horse and rider hath he thrown into the 
sea; the Lord is my strength and song, and he is 
become my salvation ; he is my God, and I will pre- 
pare him a habitation ; my father's God, and I will 
exalt him ; the Lord is a man of war ; the Lord is his 
name." Every heart was touched, when the father 
gave his son William, then six years old, a significant 
look, and the child, not the least abashed in con- 
sequence of frequent practice, began as follows : "And 
Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom, and 
became nurse to it ; and the women, her neighbors, 
gave it a name, saying, a child is born to Naomi, and 
they called his name Obed ; he is the father of Jesse, 
the father of David." His daughter Emily, then eight 
years old, whose fancy was caught by what her 
brother had said, asked her father where she would 
find the story of little Obed. He answered, that 
the story was recorded in the book of Ruth, and 
added, a very pretty one it is, and, turning to the 
rest, said : " In the book of Ruth the simplicity of the 
early ages is very strikingly exhibited, and it seems 
to have been collected with other parts of the sacred 
canon of Scripture in order to supply the origin and 
pedigree of the royal family of David, of which it was 
promised that the Messiah, according to the flesh, 
should be born." Emily then repeated, with the 



. 



HOUSEHOLD WORSHIP. 249 

utmost accuracy, the whole of the Messiah's lineage 
from Adam to Abraham, and thence to David, and 
thence again to Jesus, ending with the latter part of 
the first chapter of Matthew, whose gospel she and 
her brothers were then in daily lessons committing to 
memory. 

Elder B. U. Watkins, at that time a young man, 
was residing in the family for the purpose of improv- 
ing his Christian knowledge, and between him and 
Elder Scott, a singular and interesting exercise took 
place ; this was the repeating at first in alternate 
verses, and then in alternate chapters, a large portion 
of the Epistle to the Hebrews. The recitations were 
not only accurate, but great attention was paid to 
emphasis and pronunciation, which made it far more 
impressive than a mere formal reading would have 
been. Another young minister who was present re- 
peated the fifth chapter of First Timothy, and Mrs. 
Scott added a passage from the gospel by Matthew. 
The exercise began with the song of Moses, and the 
father closed it by chanting, in rich, full tones, the 
song of the Lamb: "Worthy is the Lamb, that was 
slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and 
strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing; for thou 
wast slain for us, and hast redeemed us to God by 
thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and 
people, and nation, and hast made us to our God 
kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth." 
The whole family then joined in singing the hymn, 
" Lo, he comes with clouds descending," after which 
thanksgivings were offered for all the favors of life 
and religion, and the family separated for the duties 
of the day. 



250 L IFE OF EL DER WA L TER SC OTT. 

B. U. Watkins, to whom reference has been made, 
thus writes with regard to the course pursued while 
he was in the family : 

" It was in the spring of 1833 tnat * began to study the 
Bible with Walter Scott. His residence, at that time, was 
about a quarter of a mile east of the village. Neither the 
house nor its surroundings were at all romantic; but yet 
we found it pleasant — very pleasant to study the Holy 
Scriptures. It was our habit to commit to memory a chap- 
ter from the New Testament before breakfast, each select- 
ing different portions of the Scripture, which we recited at 
family worship, which came directly after eating. In this 
exercise every member of the family was expected to take 
part. His amiable wife and the children, who were then 
but small, seldom recited a whole chapter. There was 
something in this profound attention to the Bible that 
pleased me more than I can well describe. We soon began 
to commit the Scriptures systematically, paying special at- 
tention to the larger epistles — Romans and Hebrews. After 
morning worship, it was our custom to walk out together, 
and during the walk refresh our memories with what we 
had learned in the last week or month. This was done by 
reciting from memory, and prompting each other without 
the use of any book. Sometimes we repeated verse about, 
sometimes one recited till his memory failed, then the other 
began where he left off, and, thus the exercise was con- 
tinued indefinitely, and on our return to the house, we 
again referred to the book if we were conscious of any 
defect of memory. In this way large portions of the 
New Testament were committed to memory, and made 
very effectually and, permanently our own. Over and 
above this memorizing, we studied together exegesis and 
criticism. But not one word, as now remembered, was 
said about what is popularly known as Theology — about 



JOYS A ND SORR O WS. 2 5 I 

the philosophy of religion or the analogy of faith. The 
reason for this apparent oversight was very obvious to my 
mind. Both A. Campbell and Walter Scott had abjured 
all religious philosophy, and went directly to the Word of 
God, to hear what it would say, and to let simple faith sup- 
plant all human philosophy; and it was his custom then to 
submit, with the docility of a child, to a positive declara- 
tion of Scripture. 

" These were pioneer days — days of great trials and 
great triumphs. Bro. Scott enjoyed the triumphs with a 
keen relish, and felt the crushing weight of pioneer priva- 
tions and trials as only such natures as his could feel. 
He had embarked his all in his plea for the primitive 
gospel, and at that time there was no earthly compensa- 
tion for such labor. He was poor, very poor; while I 
lived in his family it was not at all uncommon for them to 
be almost destitute of the common necessaries 01 life. He 
was a great believer in prayer, and just at the point of 
greatest need help always came." 

And yet his life was far from being a sad one. Able 
ministers of the gospel — partners in his glorious 
toil — often called to see him, and cheer him with ac- 
counts of the success of the truth in their hands — 
Barton W. Stone, L. L. Pinkerton, Samuel Rogers, 
L. H. Jameson, his beloved pupil, Dr. Richardson, 
and many other earnest workers. And with such 
company all discomforts were forgotten ; far into the 
night they were often engaged upon the theme dear- 
est to their hearts, and when the time of parting- 
came they mutually thanked God and took courage. 
His welcome was not reserved for the great and good 
men, such as we have named, alone — none were turned 
away ; and the poorest disciple was sure of any kind- 



252 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

ness he might need that it was in the power of Scott 
to bestow. He treated all who claimed to be the dis- 
ciples of Jesus as his brethren — as his Father's chil- 
dren ; the young and the timid soon felt at ease in 
his presence, and went away strengthened and en- 
couraged. One who was a true disciple, and, who 
years ago, went to his reward, told a bosom friend 
the following incidept : 

"When quite a young man, a year or two after I had 
heard and embraced the gospel, I determined to pay a visit 
to Ohio and Virginia, with the purpose of visiting A. 
Campbell and Walter Scott, whom I regarded as the 
greatest spirits of the age. Reaching Carthage on a sum- 
mer afternoon, I left my horse at the village inn, and 
directed my steps to the residence of Walter Scott. I 
found him on the porch reading, handed him my letter of 
introduction, after reading which he gave me a most cordial 
greeting and invited me into the house. After conversing 
a few minutes, he left the room and in a short time re- 
turned with a basin of water and a towel, and, in the 
kindest tones, said, 'My young brother, permit me, in the 
name of the Lord, to wash your feet,' and he immedi- 
ately proceeded to do so ; and while kneeling at his task 
kept me engaged in conversation until it was accomplished. 
Never did I realize till then what a lesson of humility 
such an act could convey, and the impression made upon 
my mind has never been effaced." 

He had the highest regard for the abilities and feel- 
ings of his associates in the ministry, and knew not 
what it was either to envy, or desire to outshine 
them. A fine example of this is found in his recog- 
nition of the eminent abilities and devoted labors of 
the Campbells, father and son ; and of B. W. Stone, 



PARABLE OF THE SUITS. 253 

in one of his most brilliant essays, styled the " Para- 
ble of the Ships." He takes the reader with him to 
a lofty peak on the sea-beat shore, and represents, 
by the various vessels which deck the blue waters, 
the different churches of ancient and modern times. 
Among these he points out "The Christian," "The 
Church of God," and "The Restoration ;" by the first 
of which he means the body of which Barton W. 
Stone was a prominent member ; by the second, he 
intends those Independent Baptists who first laid 
aside all human creeds and strove to conform to the 
primitive model ; .and by the Restoration, those, who 
under the labors of himself and associates, had made 
still greater advances in the attempt to return to 
original ground. The allusion to Elder Thomas 
Campbell is particularly fine, and not more elegant 
and felicitous than true. For he, beyond all question, 
first settled upon the great principle — the seed-truth 
from which all that is valuable in the Reformation 
sprung — "That we must speak where the Scriptures 
speak, and be silent where they are silent;" or, in 
other words, make the Word of God the only rule of 
faith and practice. He, if ever man did, regarded 
the Word of God as the mariner does the polar star, 
and few purer lives have adorned and illustrated the 
religion of Jesus than did his. He makes a passing 
allusion at the close to himself, without which the 
sketch would have been imperfect, but it will be seen 
that he claims not a higher, nay, scarcely an equal, 
place with the rest. .He asks the reader : 

" Do you see these three ships near to shore taking in 
numerous passengers, and bearing the several names of 



254 



LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



' The Christian,' < The Church of God,' and ' The Restor- 
ation?' I do. Well, then, in the first of them, viz.: 
'The Christian,' you see, standing with his hand upon the 
helm, a man of patriarchal appearance, with a black coat 
and a broad-brimmed hat, do you not? I do. That, sir, 
is the man who for many years has guided with unvarying 
hand the stately vessel which you now look at, blameless, not 
self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine; no striker, 
and not given to filthy lucre ; he is a lover of hospitality, 
a lover of good men; sober, just, holy, temperate; and firm 
as a Stone he holdeth fast the faithful compass in the bin- 
nacle before him. After maintaining, through a long 
series of years, the high distinction of pilot to * The 
Christian,' he is now ready, as he has shown, to resign 
his post to the person to whom the Great Captain of Sal- 
vation shall see meet to give it in charge. May he die* in 
the midst of his brethren, with the words of peace on his 
lips, and glory in his soul. 

" ' The Church of God ' is a vessel of original mould and 
bottom, but differing, in the first instance, from ' The 
Christian,' which, as originally fitted out, had more sail 
than ballast. ' The Church of God ' had more ballast than 
sail, and so moved forward tardily till, meeting with ' The 
Restoration,', she hoisted an additional sail, and now the 
three ships are all along to Jerusalem in a league of peace 
and amity! But to 'The Restoration.' You must see, 
sir, that she is a vessel of the divinest and most peculiar 
mould. I do not refer to any display she makes, for she 
makes none ; but look at the length, and strength, and 
sturdiness of her timbers! her keel and ribs are made as 
for eternity ! and within her capacious walls may walk at 
ease, if they would walk in the truth, the whole world of 
mankind. Who is that apostolic-looking personage be- 
hind the binnacle, with heaven in his eye, and gazing full 
upon the northern and polar star? That, sir, is the man 
who laid her beams in the Bible. Mark the height and 



PARABLE OF THE SHIPS. 255 

capacity of his forehead ! the depth, and strength, and 
color of the eye that coucheth underneath ; the intellect and 
argument developed in the length and weight and mobility 
of his cheek ; the massy ear, and the veneration of his 
silvery locks that now stream to the wintry winds like the 
bright radiations of light ! and say, whether, as he stands, 
he does not realize to you all that you have imagined of 
the venerable Nestor, Nestor of Sandy Pylos ! Holy, 
vigilant, and indefatigable, and avoiding questions which 
engender strife, like a true servant of God, he is gentle 
toward all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instruct-- 
ing those who oppose themselves, if God, peradventure, 
will grant them repentance unto the acknowledgment of 
the truth, and that they may recover themselves out of the 
snare of the devil, who are taken captive at his will. The 
father of believing children, and ruling well his own house; 
a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men ; his soul 
looketh forth from her clayey tenement toward heaven on 
high. He shall die the death of the righteous ; his last 
end shall be his ! 

"And who is that with a strong hand upon the helm, 
eyeing the whole squadron of the Reformation, as if he 
would run them down ? Names are odious, sir. The dis- 
tinction and* priority which he there enjoys has been well 
earned. Do you see his face? There is not a straight 
line in it ! and Nature, as if she had determined there 
should be none, besides giving the nasal organ an eleva- 
tion truly Roman, has slightly inclined the whole to one 
side — the right side ! The lip, too, and the azure eye, 
edged with the fire of the bird of Jove, yield in the same 
direction ; while the well-developed marble forehead, and 
the whole frontal region, give forth all the marks of the 
depth, the extent, the variety, and the fervor of which he 
has proved himself possessed. Why do so many keep 
gazing at him from the decks of the other vessels — ' The 
Presbyterian,' 'The Seceder,' 'The Infidel,' and many 



256 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

more? Mark, sir, the extraordinary development behind 
his ear, and inquire no more ; he has run the prow of the 
' Restoration ' into almost every ship of any size in the 
fleet, and these groups upon the decks are poor folks met 
to deplore the disasters ; and yon chasm, in the hull of the 
Regular Baptist, which you have noticed, and which the 
men aboard are tinkering at, is the hole which he ham- 
mered out, and at which he and his associates leaped forth. 
Valiant for the truth in the earth, and fearing nothing 
but God and evil, may he, till death, maintain, by honor 
and righteousness, the high distinction and priority which 
he now enjoys ; and then, having gone, his name and his 
fame shall be in the mouth of all saints, greater than if 
written on the blue firmament with a pen of gold ! better 
than if poured in letters of living gold along the sky! 

" Who is that lean man behind him, with his eye de- 
vouring the compass in the binnacle, and whose head the 
Pilot would raise from his bosom whereon it had reclined ? 
No names, sir; if he leaped from the chasm first, bearing 
along with him the flag of the Union, he is to be borne 
with. It is well his purposes are divine, and founded in 
truth, for you can not turn him. And who are all these 
joyous men and officers aboard, crowding around the helm? 
These, sir, are all volunteers, and singing, as you hear, 

" The everlasting gospel has launched the deep at last : 
Behold her sails unfurled upon her towering mast ! 
Her joyous crew upon the deck in loving order stand, 
Crying ' Ho, here we go for Immanuel's happy land.' " 

He especially delighted to put forward and encour- 
age young men in the ministry of the Word, and such, 
instead of being abashed and disheartened by the 
presence of one so royally endowed with the highest 
qualities for efficiency in the pulpit, felt rather 
cheered and encouraged, knowing that his desire for 



ENCOURAGES YOUNG PREACHERS. 2$ 7 

success and usefulness was scarcely inferior to their 
own. Many of his sons in the gospel will remember 
this feature in his character: the encouragement given 
before rising to speak; in his earnest prayer for them ; 
the low murmurs of approval at the best points of the 
discourse, and the warm and hearty approval at its 
close. To one of these, on their way to an appoint- 
ment, where he himself was expected to preach, he 
said : " Now I will tell you how we must do ; I will 
preach, and you must follow in an exhortation ; I will 
strike at the head, and you must strike at the heart, 
and cry if you can" by which he did not mean, seem 
to feel even if you do not ; but let your subject, and 
the condition of the lost sinners you are addressing 
so take hold of your heart, that you may fee] for 
them ; and thus make them feel. 

Although residing at Carthage, his labors were by 
no means confined there ; many other places were 
visited, and churches already existing greatly enlarged 
and strengthened ; and also many new ones estab- 
lished, in which the fruits of his labors may be seen to 
this day. In addition to the success that was attend- 
ing his own personal labors, he was greatly cheered 
by encouraging reports from other fields where the 
seed he had sown in tears was giving a rich harvest 
to the hands of those who had been his helpers at the 
beginning of the movement, when every man's hand 
was against them ; and, greater, moreover, was his 
joy to find that many of his converts were quitting 
themselves like men, and gathering multitudes into 
the fold. On the Western Reserve, especially, the 
cause was flourishing to such an extent, that preach- 
ers of various religious parties had almost ceased the 

22 



258 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

work of opposition, as many from their own ranks 
had embraced, and were preaching, the faith they had 
once attempted to destroy ; and the people every- 
where gladly gave heed to the truth. From the scene 
of his early and arduous labors in the republication 
of the ancient gospel, one writes : "I have been at a 
great many large meetings, which I thought could 
not be exceeded for love and affection, but such a 
one as this, I never before witnessed. It was sup- 
posed that twenty-five hundred were present, chiefly 
Disciples ; thirty-five were immersed at one time ; 
Wm. Hayden, stood in the water until he had bap- 
tized eighteen. Upwards of four hundred converts 
have been made in this region during the year." An- 
other, writing from Stark County, Ohio, says : " The 
Disciples in this part of the county are numerous. 
I was informed that in the town of Minerva, and 
within a few miles around, there are about one thou- 
sand." From Ravenna, Ohio, the news came : " The 
ancient gospel is performing wonders in this county, 
breaking in upon the old sectarian establishments.' 
The careless and unthinking are aroused to a sense 
of their folly. In short, the Reformation has out- 
stripped our most sanguine expectations." Wm. 
Hayden wrote of great success in the field of his 
labors, and reported that the cause was making con- 
siderable progress in the State of New York, and, still 
later, added, " It would be good for you to visit the 
Western Reserve, and to see the very boys whom 
you, seven years ago, immersed, preaching and bap- 
tizing like men. I have immersed about fifty-six this 
year ; and the aggregate of immersions by all our 
teachers here is probably about three hundred." 






CHEERING NEWS. 259 

From another part of the State, Bro. Dowling wrote 
that himself and a fellow-laborer had added three hun- 
dred to the church within the year. From other States 
also came news most cheering, so that Scott could 
write with truth : " Our desk groans under a load of 
letters from all points crowded with the joyful tidings 
of the spread of the gospel." Looking at its progress 
for the last few years, its success is wonderful, and 
then adds : " But when all that it has achieved is 
contemplated in connection with all that must be 
achieved, we are compelled to put our finger upon 
our lips, and to say, how much yet remains to be done ! 
As for ourselves, we hope to improve upon the past, 
and to do more and better for the truth than we have 
yet done. We have attended many general meetings 
during the present year, and made many hasty ex- 
cursions into divers vicinities for the purpose of 
spreading the truth, so that, with pen and tongue, we 
have in some measure, filled up the year in efforts to 
save our fellow mortals, afid glorify our heavenly 
Father through Jesus Christ. We have, however, 
fallen far short even of our own views of the enter- 
prise, grandeur, and success of the original preachers 
and professors of the gospel; and, can, therefore, do 
nothing more for the present than promise, that if, 
in the judgment of our brethren, we have not in our 
labors and writings done all that might be expected 
to propagate and unfold the faith and hope of the 
gospel, we shall endeavor, by the help of God our 
heavenly Father, to do better for the time to come." 



?-6o LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Discourse on the Holy Spirit — Extracts from the Discourse — Opinions 
with regard to its merits — -Review of the Rev. S. W. Lynd's pamphlet. 

AT this period, Elder Scott revised and republished, 
in the "Evangelist," a remarkable discourse on 
the Holy Spirit, which is deserving of mention. 
The work of the Holy Spirit for years had been the 
subject of controversy between the Disciples and other 
religious bodies, and also among themselves, and one 
which from its very nature was extremely difficult to 
settle. It was commonly treated as a proper subject 
of philosophical inquiry, to be decided by reasonings 
with regard to the faculties and powers of the human 
mind, rather than by the express teachings of the 
Scriptures. The result was that, by some, conver- 
sion was regarded as the work of the Spirit without 
the Word ; by others, as effected exclusively by the 
Word. It was, indeed, the greatest religious ques- 
tion of the day, upon which the greatest possible con- 
fusion prevailed. The theory of one party made the 
Word of God a dead letter, and did not scruple to 
call it such, while the opposite party laid so much 
stress upon the Word, that they were understood as 
regarding the Word and Spirit identical. One party 
would advocate a direct contact between the mind 
of man and the Spirit of God, and that the impres- 
sion resulting from this contact was the converting 



WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 26 1 

and sanctifying power, while the other party would 
ask, Of what use or value then is the Word of God, 
if impressions made upon the soul without its agency 
are saving and sanctifying ? The former view made 
every conversion a miracle as it was effected by a 
power that the sinner could neither avail himself of, 
nor resist, as the very desire for salvation must be 
begotten in the heart by the Spirit which effected it ; 
and in this view of the case man had no agency 
whatever in his own conversion. The latter view 
regarded all the power of the Spirit as being put 
forth through the Word of God alone ; and all 
changes in saint or sinner, as the result of the light, 
instruction, and motives contained in the Words of 
Scripture, and as being accordant with the human 
mind, heart, and will ; no distinction was made be- 
tween the agent and instrument, but the Word and 
Spirit were regarded as one and the same. 

These views being in direct conflict, both could 
not be true, while both might be false ; but, instead of 
attempting to sustain either, or the hopeless task of 
harmonizing them, Mr. Scott resolved to review the 
whole ground, and see if the Scriptures did not war- 
rant a view different from those generally entertained, 
and free from the objections which might be urged 
against them. The result of his reflections upon this 
important theme was an elaborate discourse on the 
Holy Spirit, several editions of which were widely 
circulated in pamphlet form. 

The discourse was eagerly read, and had to pass 
through a most searching criticism, but it stood the 
test ; the objections have already been forgotten, but his 
argument, no one has been able to improve. The main 



262 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

points of the discourse may be gathered from the fol- 
lowing extracts : 

" ' Whom the world can not receive.' — JOHN XIV. 

" Christianity, as developed in the sacred oracles, is 
sustained by three divine missions — the mission of the 
Lord Jesus, the mission of the apostles, and the mission 
of the Holy Spirit ; these embassies are distinct in three 
particulars, namely, person, termination, and design. Like 
the branches, flowers, and fruit of the same tree, they are, 
indeed, nearly and admirably related ; stili, however, like 
these, they are distinct ; not one, but three missions, con- 
nected like the vine, its branches and clusters of grapes. 

" Of the person sent on these missions : It may suffice to 
observe that, although the Scriptures give to Jesus, the 
apostles, and to the Holy Spirit, the attitude of mission- 
aries, i. e., speak of them as persons sent by the Father, 
they never speak of the Father himself in such style. God 
is said, in the New Testament, to send the Lord Jesus, the 
Lord Jesus to send the apostles, and the Holy Spirit to 
be sent by the Father and the Son, but the Father himself 
is not said to be sent by any one. 

' ' Of the termination of these missions : Every embassy, 
political or religions, must and does end somewhere ; 
hence, we have political embassies to Spain, Portugal, the 
Court of St. James, St. Cloud's, Petersburgh, Naples ; 
and we have religious missions to Japan, the Cape, Hin- 
doostan, to the Indians, and the South seas. If it be in- 
quired then, in what other respect these three divine in- 
stitutions differed from each other, I answer, they had 
distinct terminations. Our Lord Jesus was sent personally 
to the Jewish nation and his mission terminated on that 
people. 

"The apostles were sent to all the nations, and their 
mission terminated accordingly ; but the Holy Spirit was 



DISCOURSE ON THE HOLY SPIRIT. 263 

sent only to the church of our Lord Jesus Christ, and, so 
far as his gifts were concerned, his mission terminated in 
that institution. 

" Of the design of these missions : In every embassy there 
is something to be accomplished. We do not send out 
political and religious embassadors for nothing; but for 
the high purpose of negotiation ; and, therefore, it will be 
seen, in the following discourse, that God, in sending forth 
His Son, the apostles, and the Holy Spirit, had a great 
design ; also, that the ends or designs of the embassies 
of these functionaries were all distinct from each other. 

" In fine, it will be shown, in regard to the Holy Spirit, 
that he was not sent to dwell in any man in order to make 
him a Christian, but because he had already become a 
Christian ; or, in other terms, it will be proved that the 
Holy Spirit is not given to men to make them believe and 
obey the gospel, but rather because they have believed and 
obeyed the gospel. 

"The propositions of the discourse are as follows: 

"Proposition i. Jesus Christ was, personally, a mis- 
sionary only to the Jews ; his mission terminated on that 
people, and the designs of it were to proclaim the gospel, and 
to teach those among them who believed it. 

" Proposition 2. The apostles were missionaries to the 
whole world; their mission terminated on mankind, and its 
design was to proclaim the gospel, and to teach those among 
men who believed it. 

" Proposition 3. The Holy Spirit was a missionary to the 
church; His mission terminated on that institutio?i, and the 
designs of it were to comfort the disciples, glorify Jesus Christ 
as the true Messiah, and to convince the world of sin, right- 
eousness, and judgment. ' ' 

He showed clearly from the labors of Christ, while 
on earth, which were in strict accordance with his 



264 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

words, " I am not sent, but to the lost sheep of the 
house of Israel," that his mission began and termi- 
nated with that people. In like manner, from the com- 
mission, it was evident that the mission of the apos- 
tles was to all nations — the unconverted — and its 
design, their conversion by preaching the gospel ; 
from which it follows that the mission of the Spirit 
was not to the world or the unconverted, as, in that 
case, its mission and that of the apostles would have 
been the same ; but that its mission was as distinct 
from theirs, as theirs was from that of the Savior ; 
that it was to the church, and not to the world, since 
Christ had said of the Spirit, " whom the world can 
not receive." This point he argues as follows : 

" The idea of the Spirit being a missionary to the 
church affords a new and striking argument against that 
immoral and fatal maxim in popular theology, namely, 
that special spiritual operations are necessary to faith ! In 
this discourse it is shown that the church was formed be- 
fore any of her members received the Spirit ; that after 
the church was formed the Spirit was sent into. her on the 
day of Pentecost ; finally, that men did not and do not 
receive this Spirit to make them disciples, but because they 
were or are disciples; in a word, it is shown, from the 
express words of Christ himself, that no man that does 
not first of all believe the gospel can receive the Holy 
Spirit. ' If any man thirst,' says Christ, f let him come unto 
me and drink, and out of his belly shall flow rivers of liv- 
ing water.' Now, what does this mean; that the Holy 
Spirit will be given to unbelievers? No. John, the 
Apostle, explains it as follows : ' This he spake of the 
Spirit which was to be given to those who believed, for the 
Spirit was not yet given (to believers) because that Jesus 
was not yet glorified.' 



DISCOURSE ON THE HOLY SPIRIT. 26$ 

11 Concerning the Holy Spirit, the Redeemer said, 
further: 'It is expedient for you that I go away; for if 
I go not away, the Comforter will not come ; but if I go 
away, I will send him to you;' again, 'whom the world 
can not receive.' I will se fid him to you ; to you, my dis- 
ciples ; now, the number of disciples must have been at 
this time very great, for Christ made and baptized, it is 
said, more than John ; there were one hundred and twenty 
present on the day of Pentecost, and five hundred brethren 
beheld him at once after his resurrection, and all these 
were reckoned disciples without having received the Holy 
Spirit ! But if the Holy Spirit had been necessary to make 
men repent and believe the gospel, then he must have 
come to them before Jesus left the world ; and, conse- 
quently, when he went away he could not send him, from 
the fact that he had already come — I will send him to you. 
The mission of the Spirit, then, was to those whom ' the 
Redeemer designated you, the disciples — the church which 
he had gathered ; and this institution is distinguished from 
the world by nothing so much as that of receiving the 
Spirit through faith ; for, a prime reason why the world 
does not receive the Spirit is, that it has no faith in God. 
' Whom the world can not receive, because it seeth him 
not.' The Spirit, then, being received by them who be- 
lieve, and the world being endued with sense, and having 
no faith, it is impossible that he should be received by the 
world, or that his mission should be to unbelieving men. 
He came to the church; and there is no instance on record 
of the Holy Spirit transcending the limits of his mission, 
or of operating in a man before faith to produce that prin- 
ciple in his soul. 

" The doctrine, then, alas ! the too popular doctrine, 
which extends the mission of the Spirit beyond the bounds 
of the church, and teaches the world, which the Savior 
says, can not receive him, to sit and wait for his internal 
special operations to produce faith, is monstrously absurd 
23 



266 LIFE OF. ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

and impious ; absurd, because it makes the Holy Spirit to 
transgress, by overreaching the limits of his embassy, which 
is to the church ; and impious, because it makes him give 
the lie to the Lord of Glory, who says, the world can not 
receive him. Jesus said, ' When he is come he will glorify 
me ; ' Would it glorify the Redeemer's character before 
either angels or men to make him a liar, as the Spirit 
would and must do, were he, according to the maxims of 
party theology, to be received by sinners for the purpose 
of originating in them either faith or repentance? Let 
ministers reflect on this ; let all professors reflect on 
this. 

"That those who obey the gospel, that is, believe, re- 
pent, and are baptized, do and must, by the very nature of 
the New Covenant, receive the Holy Spirit, is made cer- 
tain by a ' thus saith the Lord; ' but that men who hear 
the gospel, can not believe and obey it, is wholly human, 
and is supported by nothing but a ' thus saith the man ' — 
the preacher — the Episcopalian, the Presbyterian, the 
Methodist, the Baptist, the Quaker; for, however these 
parties differ in other matters, they are all alike here ; in 
this doctrine they are one ! And judge for yourself, 
reader, whether such among us, as are charged with the 
office of public instructors in the Christian religion, are 
not chargeable with the grossest perversity, when we re- 
fuse to announce the great things of salvation in the sound 
words of the New Testament, and cry aloud that our au- 
dience can not believe and obey the gospel, on the testi- 
mony of the Holy Scriptures, without special operations 
from the Holy Spirit, when Almighty God has caused it to 
be written in living characters on the intelligible page of 
his never-dying word, ' Repent, and be baptized, every one 
of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of 
your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy 
Spirit. ' 

" The Spirit, then, can do nothing in religion, nothing 



DISCOURSE ON THE HOL Y SPIRIT. 267 

in Christianity, but by the members of the body of Christ. 
Even the Word of God — the Scriptures — have been given 
by members filled with this Spirit ; they spake, as the Spirit 
gave them utterance. But mark, reader, that there is no 
member of the body of Christ in whom the Holy Spirit 
dwelleth not ; for it will hold as good at the end of the 
world as it does now, and it holds as good now as it did 
on the day of Pentecost and afterward, that ' if any man 
have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his. ' If, there- 
fore, the Spirit convinces the world of sin, or glorifies 
Jesus, it is all through the agency of the members of the 
body of Christ, whom he fills — the church. Hence, the 
indispensable duty of all disciples being led by the Spirit 
of God, with which they are sealed, and of holding forth, 
in the language of the New Testament, the gospel ; for, 
where there are no Christians, or where Christians do not 
perform their duties, there are no conversions — as in Tartary, 
India, some parts of Europe, and so forth. But wherever 
there are Christians, Christians who hold forth the gospel 
in the sound words used on Pentecost by the apostles, 
there will always be some conversions, more or less." 

Certain objections arose against the views he pre- 
sented, not from any defect in them, but in conse- 
quence of the erroneous views which had been en- 
tertained previously on this subject. He mentions 
those objections, and thus disposes of them : 

" ' If the Holy Spirit does not enter the soul of the sin- 
ner, how can he convince him ? ' I answer, that God 
convinces us as we convince one another — by truth and 
argument. Can the Holy Spirit do nothing for a person 
unless he enters that person? Did he glorify Christ by 
entering him, or by enlightening the apostle on his char- 
acter ? As, then, the Spirit glorified Christ without enter- 
ing him, so he can convince sinners without entering and 



268 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

dwelling in them. Let preachers, and all who believe, 
hold forth the word of the Spirit to the people ; let them 
forbear calling it a dead letter, and the Spirit will soon 
convince sinners of sin. But 

"It is objected, ' If the Spirit does not go into the souls 
of sinners, and strive with them, how can they be said to 
resist the Spirit ? ' Will the reader allow the God of 
heaven to answer this objection? Then turn over to 
Nehemiah, ix : 30. There we are told that the people re- 
sisted the Spirit of God, speaking to them by the mouth 
of the prophets. The spirit resisted was in the prophet, 
not in the people. The spirit of the devil was in the 
people. 

"' We can not believe of ourselves! 1 Answer. God 
does not require you to believe of yourselves. Listen to 
the Spirit speaking to you in the mouth of the apostles 
and prophets, and he will afford you abundant evidence 
by which you can believe, and must -believe, on Jesus, or 
be forever condemned. ' He that believeth not shall be 
damned.' 

' ' ' If faith do not come by the Spirit, how does it co7ne ? ' 
The apostle says, (Romans x.) ' Faith cometh by hear- 
ing ;\ and who are you that dare to say it cometh any 
other way? 

" ' Do not the Scriptures say that faith is the gift of 
God? ' A field of wheat is the gift of God ; and, as God 
has his own way of bestowing his gifts, both natural and 
religious, so if we ask how the gift of faith cometh, the 
answer is, It cometh by hearing the Word of God. 

" ' But if faith cometh by hearing, why have not all 
faith ? ' The Lord Jesus shows that men are blinded 
and hardened by seeking and indulging in personal, family, 
political, and professional distinctions. 'How,' says he, 
* can you believe in me, when you seek honor one of another, 
and seek not the honor which cometh from God only.' 

'"The Word is called "the Sword of the Spirit;" 



DISCOURSE ON THE HOLY SPIRIT. 269 

and must not the Spirit use his own Sword '?' Some swords 
are called ' Spanish blades/ — not because Spaniards use 
them, but because they make them. So the Word is 
called ' the Sword of the Spirit ' — not because he uses it, 
but because he made it for the saints to use ; hence, the 
apostle, in Ephesians, 6th chapter, bids us take the ' Sword 
of the Spirit ' that we might defend ourselves with it 
against our spiritual enemies. 

" ' Is it nowhere said in Scripture that the Spirit must 
convince us of sin?'' Yes; but we have already seen how 
he does this, namely, by the Word of God, preached — not 
by going into the souls of sinners. 

" ' fs not a ' ' manifestation of the Spirit given to every 
man to profit withal?''' ' Yes, to every man not out but in 
the church. This is in the 7th verse of the 12th chapter, 
2d Corinthians — one which is, perhaps, more abused by 
some ignorant people than any other supposed to relate to 
this subject. The apostle is, in that chapter, discoursing 
of church affairs ; and to give an air of universality to a 
saying which has a special reference to men in the church 
is most injudicious. According to some people's mode of 
quoting this Scripture, there is no advantage in being a 
disciple of Christ ; for, in their judgment, the Holy Spirit 
is given to Jew, Turk, and even idolaters ! 

"This is the true state of the case; some of the disci- 
ples in the church at Corinth were becoming vain of the 
high spiritual gifts which they had received on obeying the 
gospel. The apostle lets them understand that these gifts 
were given not to bring personal honor to the man that 
received them, but for the good of the whole church ; and 
by the best translators the verse is rendered thus : ' A por- 
tion of the Spirit is given to every man (disciple) for the 
profit of the whole ' (church). 

" ' Did not the Lord open Zydia's heart? ' Yes ; and the 
Lord opens every heart that is opened at all. But the 
question here is, How does he open the heart? Does it 



270 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

say that the Lord opened Lydia's heart by the influence 
of the Holy Spirit? No. Then don't you say so, lest 
God reprove you for adding to his word, and you be 
found a liar. Lydia had met, with certain other women, 
on a Sabbath, to worship God in the place where prayer 
was wont to be made; and, as all present were Jews, the 
apostle, no doubt, went to work with them as he did with 
other Jews ; that is, ' he reasoned with them out of the 
Scriptures.' This was the very way which the Spirit de- 
monstrated to all Jews that Jesus was Christ ; and this is 
the way by which the hearts of the Jews were opened to 
attend to the things spoken by the apostles." 

The " Word alone " party were ready to admit that 
the gospel was the great instrumentality in the con- 
version of the world, the power of God unto salva- 
tion to every one that believed it, as it accorded with 
the course pursued by the apostles, who, as is evident 
from the account of their labors in the book of Acts, 
preached the gospel wherever they went, and promised 
the Spirit to those who became obedient ; and they 
saw, moreover, that the gospel which they preached 
was never called the Spirit : and the " Spirit alone " 
party were astounded at the discovery that Christ 
had said that the world could not receive the Spirit, 
and that conversions never were known to precede a 
knowledge of the Word, but invariably followed the 
preaching. Mr. Scott had thrown away all theories 
and speculations in regard to the matter, and fal- 
len back upon the Scriptures ; and, hence, those who 
reverenced the Word of God had little difficulty in 
accepting what now, in the light of that Word, was 
so clear. Elder B. U. Watkins says of this discourse : 
"It threw- light on an obscure subject, and acted like 



COMMENDATIONS OF THE DISCOURSE. 27 1 

oil upon the troubled waters. His positions were 
well taken, and though they had to pass through 
an ordeal of criticism, as the manner then was, few 
thinkers of to-day will call them in question. But 
obvious and self-evident as they now appear, they 
were then dug out of the rubbish of ages with great 
labor and careful investigation." 

Dr. Richardson says in regard to it : " It was the 
first time it had been publicly brought forward in so 
particular a manner, and the clear scriptural evidence 
presented in the discourse was generally received as 
decisive of the questions involved." Alexander Camp- 
bell had prior to this time presented his views on this 
vexed, yet deeply-important subject, in his " Dialogue 
on the Holy Spirit," which was published in the first 
edition of his work called, " Christianity Restored ;" 
this was omitted in subsequent editions of the work, 
and he gave the following earnest commendation of 
the views of his friend. "Brother Walter Scott," said 
he, "who, in the fall of 1827, arranged the several 
items of faith, repentance, baptism, remission of 
sins, the Holy Spirit, and eternal life, restored them in 
this order to the church under the title of the ancient 
gospel, and successfully preached it for the conver- 
sion of the world, has written a discourse on the fifth 
point, viz., the Holy Spirit, which presents. the sub- 
ject in such an attitude as can not fail to make all who 
read it understand the views entertained by us, and, 
as we think, taught by the apostles in their writings. 
We can recommend to all the Disciples this discourse 
as most worthy of a place in their families ; because it 
perspicuously, forcibly, and with a brevity favorable 
to an easy apprehension of its meaning, presents the 



272 



LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



subject to the mind of the reader. Our opponents, 
too, who are continually misrepresenting, and many 
of them, no doubt, misconceiving, our views on this 
subject, if they would be advised by us, we would 
request to furnish themselves with a copy, that they 
may be better informed on this topic ; and, if they 
should still be conscientiously opposed, that they may 
oppose what we teach, and not a phantom of their 
own creation." 

The Rev. Samuel W. Lynd, who was regarded as 
one of the foremost Baptist ministers in the West, for 
ability and learning, resided at this time in Cincin- 
nati, between whom and Mr. Scott a controversy 
took place, in consequence of a pamphlet on the sub- 
ject of baptism, published by the former. While 
agreeing perfectly with regard to the mode, they 
were far asunder with regard to the design of the ordi- 
nance. Mr. Scott reviewed the pamphlet in the 
" Evangelist," making the views of Mr. Lynd the 
subject of a good natured, but searching, criticism, 
from which we make a few extracts. 



"Mr. Lynd delivers himself on the import and intent 
of baptism as follows : 

" This ordinance is in no part of the divine Word as- 
sociated with the forgiveness of sins, unless it be supposed to 
be thus associated in one single passage where Peter, on the 
day of Pentecost, addressing inquirers, says: ' Repent, and 
be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, 
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the 
Holy Spirit.' This passage has been urged. To this three 
observations may be offered. We shall let the reader upon 
Mr. Lynd's three observations immediately. In the mean- 
time, he will please take notice to Mr. Lynd's phraseology, 



DR. LYND REVIEWED. 273 

'one single passage.' Does the Rev. gentleman imagine 
that it detracts either from the signification or authority of 
God's sayings, that they are found only once in the Holy 
Scriptures? Was death associated with the eating of the 
forbidden fruit in more passages of the Old Testament than 
one? No; it was said only once — 'In the day that thou 
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.' I should like to hear 
Mr. Lynd make three observations upon the above pas- 
sage ; no doubt, he could, with infinite sagacity, prove that 
death was ' in no part of the divine Word associated with 
transgression, unless it be supposed to be associated in 
this one single passage, spoken by God in Paradise ! 'In 
the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.' 
There are many important matters which are found in only 
one single passage. It was said only once, ' Let all the 
angels of God worship him.' On Mr. Lynd's profound 
philosophy we might have another rebellion in heaven; 
and the angels say it was commanded us only in one single 
passage to obey Messiah ! Presbyterians say it is found 
only in one single passage in the New Testament, ' He 
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; ' and on that 
account they think, like Mr. Lynd, that the passage is 
worthy of three observations. 

"The first observation is, this Scripture can not mean 
what it says. Second, what does it mean? Third, we 
don't know what it means; or, in the words of Mr. Lynd, 
its meaning is doubtful ; , that is, it has no meaning ! But 
here comes the triple comment — the three observations of 
Mr. Lynd. 

1. '"The passage is capable of transposition. Repent, 
every one of you, for the remission of sins, and be baptized 
in the name of Jesus Christ. This precisely corresponds 
with other places, where remission of sins is immediately 
connected with repentance, and not with baptism. 

2. " 'But should this transposition be opposed, the pas- 
sage is capable of a different rendering. Instead of saying 



274 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

for the remission of sins, we might read it— -the relinquish- 
ments, or putting away, of sin, and this translation would 
agree precisely with the fact ; for by baptism we profess to 
put away sin, and to live a new life; and, more than this, 
it would accord with the primitive and ordinary meaning 
of the word. 

3. " 'The language of Peter is, to say the least, doubtful, 
as it stands in our translation ) and, therefore, ought not to 
be made the proof of a foundation principle in religion. 
If repentance and remission of sins are associated in other 
places (and this is the fact), the most that Peter's words 
could be employed for, would be to stand as collateral 
testimony to this fact.' 

1. " ' Capable of transposition ; ' to be sure, it is per- 
fectly capable of transposition ; but the matter on the title 
page of Mr. Lynd's pamphlet is also capable, or, at least, 
susceptible of transposition. Let us try transposition in 
the writings of Mr. Lynd, whose name, on the title page, 
occurs immediately after the Savior's, and then, instead of 
' Baptism a divine institution, and worthy the serious re- 
gard of all who reverence the authority of Jesus Christ,' we 
have ' Baptism a divine institution, and worthy the serious 
regard of all who reverence the authority of Samuel W. 
Lynd.' The apostle says to the Romans: 'Now, I be- 
seech you", brethren, mark them which cause divisions and 
offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, 
and avoid them. For they that. are such, serve not our 
Lord Jesus Christ, but their own bellies.' What a happy- 
vehicle of error some folks could find in Mr. Lynd's trick 
of transposition to carry them out of the meaning of the 
above passage. How well it would become some folks to 
say, the passage is a single one, and capable of transposi- 
tion, thus: 'For they that are such, serve not their own 
bellies, but the Lord Jesus Christ !' But what a silly tinker 
of the Holy Word of God our author makes ; he would, by 
transposition, connect remission of sins with repentance; 



DR. LYND REVIEWED. ??$ 

but in no wise with baptism. Now is the man who only re- 
pents more deserving of forgiveness than the man who both 
repents and is baptized ? The gospel of Christ assures us 
that remission of sins is not absolutely connected with 
either faith, repentance, or baptism alone, but that the 
whole of them is expected of him who is a candidate for 
pardon by the blood of the Lamb — the precious blood of 
the Lamb. 

2. tft Tb the relinquishment of sin. ' Let us attend to Mr. 
Lynd's second effort to get rid of the plain sayings of God. 
' Instead of saying for the remission of sins, we might read 
it — to the re Unguis h??ient or putting away of sin. ' Might read 
it! For mercy's sake, Mr. Lynd, let us read it as it stands; 
for if it be bad theology as it came out of Peter's mouth, it is 
ten times worse, as it comes out of yours. Your theology is 
this ; you would have men . forgiven their sins when they 
repent, but not relinquish their sins until they are bap- 
tized ; thus, repentance is for the forgiveness of sins, 
and baptism the relinquishment of them. So in making a 
Christian, Mr. Lynd would have the person pardoned 
before he relinquished or put away sins. 

"Now, Rev. Sir, I am not ashamed to say that the gospel 
which I have learned from the New Testament, teaches the 
very reverse of your theology — it teaches men, first, to put 
away sin by repentance, and then to be baptized for remis- 
sion ; you have just put the cart before the horse in this 
matter of relinquishment ; you have, by transposition, put 
the one where the other should be — pardon for reforma- 
tion, and reformation for pardon. 

3. " ' The language of Peter is, to say the least, doubtful, ' etc. 
Well, now, Sir, have you made Peter's language less doubt- 
ful by what you have said? Can I understand, by all the 
use which you have made of transposition and definition-, 
whether I am pardoned when reforrrfed, or reformed when 
baptized? No, sir ; an angel could not tell what you would 
have the passage really mean, though a fool might see that 



2j6 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

you would have it mean any thing but what it says: l Be 
baptized, every one of you, in the name of J e sits Christ, for 
the remission of sins. ' ' ' 

This called forth a reply more spirited than cour- 
teous, which elicited a rejoinder, keen and clear, as fol- 
lows : 

"In relation to your criticism, on the 38th verse of the 
2d chapter of the Acts, it is deemed sufficient to have remon- 
strated, as I have already done, that the transposition, 
which it inculcates, is discountenanced alike by syntax and 
by the canons of a just scriptural criticism. Grammatical 
transposition is, in the case, of no value ; critical transposi- 
tion is absurd ; for a rule is employed primarily to change 
the sense which should be employed primarily to ascertain 
the true reading. Had you said that the amendment you 
proposed was sustained by all, or many, or even a few, of 
the most ancient MSS,- or, that the fathers, or some com- 
mentator, paraphrast, divine, or translator, had given your 
sense to the passage, we could have borne with you, and 
would have inquired into the truth of what you offered, but 
to give it us in the form of a mere ipse dixit, as you have 
done, is insufferable. I aver that there is neither politeness 
nor modesty in such a procedure. Do you, Sir, perceive 
how the case stands with yourself in relation to the whole 
religious world now? The Greeks, Romans, and Episco- 
palians, ' baptize for the remission of sins,' and th^ir com- 
mon creed is — ' I believe in one baptism for the remission of 
sins.' Yet you, in opposition to all their faith and wisdom, 
aver, that l this ordinance is in no part of the divine Word 
associated with the forgiveness of sins,' save one, and in 
this one you have attempted to show that the connection 
is not real, but only apparent ; and that, while it reads, 
I Be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, 
for the remission of sins,' it ought to be understood, ' Re- 



DR. L YND RE VIE WED. 2 J J 

pent, every one of you, for the remission of sins ! ' The 
Presbyterians, also, and even the Baptists, recognize the 
connection of baptism and remission as being scriptural, 
and the former declare it to be both the ' sign and seal 
of the remission of sins. ' Have the Greeks, Romans, and 
Protestants, then, built their whole faith in this matter on 
a point — on a single passage? Yes, says Mr. Lynd, bap- 
tism and remission can be supposed to be thus associated 
only ' in one single passage ! ' Pardon me, dear sir, but I am 
forcibly struck with the likeness which your present course 
bears to that of him who plays at 'Blind Man's Buff.' You 
do not see what you are about ; you are not aware how 
much is involved in your criticism. It is not now Mr. 
Lynd against Walter Scott, and those who, like him, bap- 
tize for the remission of sins, but it is Mr. Lynd against 
the whole religious world — the Greek, Roman, and Pro- 
testant world ! 

"'In our translation:' You say 'Peter's word's are 
doubtful as they stand in our translation.' Then, I say, 
they must be doubtful as they stand in -the Greek transla- 
tion, for they stand in both translations alike. But you 
evidently imply that they are not doubtful in the Greek ; 
therefore, I say they are not doubtful in the English, 
for they are the same, both in Greek and English. See- 
ing, then, they are alike, they are either both right or 
both wrong. If they are both wrong, then they must be 
put right by substituting an artificial order for a natural 
one; and then it follows that an artificial arrangement of 
the words in a sentence is better fitted for communicating 
to us the sense of it than a natural order, which is absurd. 
Are they, then, both right? I answer, they are both right, 
because they are both natural, and both alike in sense and 
syntax. We have the words in English, and we have them 
in Greek, as the)- came from the pen of their author, Luke, 
the Evangelist. Mr. Lynd, they tell an anecdote of a col- 
lier, who was a Catholic; the priest wished to ensnare him, 



278 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

and reported him as a heretic accordingly : How, says the 
priest, do you believe? I believe as Mother Church be- 
lieves, answered the wary collier. And how do you and 
Mother Church believe ? We both believe alike, responds 
the triumphant collier. So of the verses in question. If 
it is asked how the English reads? The answer is, it 
reads as the Greek reads. But how does the Greek read ? 
It reads as the English does. And how do both the Greek 
and English read ? Answer. They both read alike. 

"We promised that, after having attended to what Mr. 
Lynd submitted on the subjects of transposition and defini- 
tion, to take notice of his numerous questions ; we shall 
now redeem our promise, and set • down his questions in 
order numerically, accompanied with such answers as we 
imagine they deserve. 

"Question. Mr. Lynd says the passage is capable of 
transposition, and asks, ' have you shown that it is not ? ' 

"A. I have now shown that, grammatically, logically, 
and critically, it is absolutely incapable of transposition; 
and that, if . you move it at all, you do it arbitrarily, pre- 
sumptuously, in violation of the Greek and English texts, 
and without support, I believe, from any scholar or Chris- 
tian that has ever existed from this day backward to the 
day of Pentecost, when it was spoken. 

"Q. If remission is not absolutely connected with 
either Faith, Repentance, or Baptism alone, — let these ques- 
tions be answered. Is remission absolutely connected with 
the observance of the whole ? 

"A. Please listen to Peter: Repent, and be baptized, 
every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remis- 
sion of sins. This is connecting it absolutely with the 
observance of the whole. But, anxious to make out two 
ways, you ask. 

"Q. If the whole are not obeyed, can a person be for- 
given who is disobedient to any one of the three ? 

" A. You will acknowledge that, without faith it is im- 



DR. LYND REVIEWED. 279 

possible to please God, and, consequently, that the person 
who is devoid of this first principle of all revealed religion 
can not be forgiven ; you will admit, also, that the man who 
believes and does not repent must perish ; Christ has as- 
serted this even of his professed disciples. The question, 
then, is, whether a person who believes and repents can be 
forgiven if disobedient when Christ commands him to be 
baptized for forgiveness. To this we reply, that obedience 
to Christ is essential and indispensable in the Christian re- 
ligion; for, at his second appearance he will not pardon, 
but destroy those ' who obey not the gospel.' We repeat, 
therefore, the good old way — the true, the holy, and the 
just old way — is, that faith, repentance, and baptism are 
necessary to actual pardo?i. 

"Q. Have persons who have exercised repentance 
toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, and 
have not been baptized, ever received the forgiveness of 
their sins? 

"A. What is that to thee, or to me? We know that he 
who believes, repents, and is baptized, has forgiveness of 
his past sins ; and this is enough for us both as Christians 
and servants of the Messiah. Do you beware of 'resisting the 
Holy Spirit' speaking to you, by Peter and the other apostles. 

"Q. Have persons baptized but who neither repent nor 
believe, received the remission of their sins ? 

li A. You have nothing to do with such a question. 
Mind what the Son of God has said and the apostles have 
taught and practiced ; forgiveness is consequent on faith, 
repentance, and baptism ; but you ask, 

"Q. Are these ' merely expected of him who is a candi- 
date for pardon ? ' ■ 

"A. This is a silly, impertinent question; these things 
are not only expected, but demanded, of every candidate 
for pardon. 

"Q. Can pardon be bestowed without repentance and 
faith? 



280 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

"A. It is nothing to you or me whether it can or no, 
seeing that, with them, it is bestowed on all who are bap- 
tized. 

"Q. Can pardon be bestowed without baptism ; and is it 
ever done under the present dispensation ? 

"A. These last questions are substantially the same, and 
scarcely deserving of any answer. What have we to do 
with what can be or may be ? The blessed Father can do, 
and may do, and has all right to do, whatever he pleases ; but 
we are only sure that he will do what he has said ; he may 
or may not do what we imagine, think, or expect, but the 
holiness of his character and nature makes it impossible 
for him but do what he has said. It is impossible for 
God to lie. The person who believes, repents, and is bap- 
tized must be forgiven. God has ordered things thus, and 
with any thing else we have nothing to do. Truth, you 
say, is the same in February that it was in January ; remem- 
ber that it is also the same now it was on the day of Pente- 
cost. Yea, I say unto you, Mr. Lynd, remember. ' ' 

In the above, Mr. Scott, with the utmost candor 
and firmness, sets forth the views of his opponent as 
clearly as he does his own arguments ; there is no 
garbling, no suppression, but an earnest desire to 
reach the truth is evident throughout, and the result 
was, that upon the main points at issue Mr. Lynd 
attempted no reply. 



THE CROOKED MADE STRAIGHT. 28 I 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Crooked things made straight — The prominence he gave to human respon- 
sibility — In what respects his work differed from that of other re- 
formers — Apostrophe to the Bible. 

FROM the prominence given in the preceding pages 
to the restoration of baptism to the place it oc- 
cupied in the primitive age, the impression may have 
been made that this was the only matter of importance 
that Mr. Scott rescued from the false views enter- 
tained concerning it, and the disuse as a practical 
element of the gospel scheme, into which it had fallen. 
Had this been all, it was no light matter to have 
restored an ordinance of the gospel which had been 
perverted to purposes certainly not contemplated by 
its author : as in infant sprinkling, as almost univer- 
sally practiced, which was, indeed, a practical rejec- 
tion of the ordinance, the change being so complete 
as to make the mode, subject, and design, all different 
from what they were in the hands of the apostles. In 
the light of the great Commission, faith and baptism 
are manifestly enjoined on none save those who had 
the ability to believe the gospel and obey its teach- 
ings ; and the manner in which the apostles carried 
out the Commission, in requiring a personal faith and 
obedience in order to the enjoyment of the favor of 
God, and a place in the Church of Christ, is proof 
that infant sprinkling is an afterthought, a human 
addition, which abrogates the divinely-enjoined re- 
24 



282 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

quisite for baptism — "If thou believest with all thy 
heart thou mayest." 

But even among the Baptists who rejected infant 
baptism, there seemed to be no clear conception of 
the divine purpose or design of the ordinance, for the 
form or mode of which they stood up so stoutly. Con- 
version with them, as with nearly all the existing re- 
ligious parties, did not consist in believing and obey- 
ing the truth, but in being made the subject of an 
indescribable supernatural power, which resulted in the 
regeneration of the soul that came under its influence. 
This they regarded as an effectual call — a being born 
again — a being made alive from the dead — in which 
it was claimed that the dead sinner was as passive as 
Lazarus when he lay in the sepulchre, and with as 
little power to raise himself from the death of sin, as 
the brother of Mary and Martha to waken from the 
sleep of death. They received none to baptism save 
those who professed some such change as above 
noted ; such they regarded as converted, as the chil- 
dren of God, and yet, with strange inconsistency, 
refused them membership in their churches, and a 
place at the Lord's Table until they were baptized ; 
thus practically denying that baptism was an element 
of conversion, or one of the conditions of pardon, 
since conversion and pardon in their view must pre- 
cede baptism, thus making it more difficult to enter 
the Baptist church than it was to enter the kingdom 
of God. In their view, men were in Christ before 
they were " baptized into Christ," regenerated, or 
born again, before they were "born of water" as well 
as of spirit, as Christ had said. Had it, then, been 
the beginning and end of Elder Scott's work to set 



THE CROOKED MADE STRAIGHT. 283 

this matter right — it was a great and needed work ; 
but he claimed to have effected a reform in many- 
other important particulars. His advocacy made 
many other things straight which had been crooked 
before, and he thus presents the various new points 
included in his plea. 

" 1 st. It introduced Faith on Evidence. 

"2d. Repentance on Motive. 

"3d. Obedience on Authority. 

"4th. It instituted a new advocacy, namely, immediate 
obedience. 

"5 th. It brought remission to all souls. 

"6th. It put the gift of the Holy Spirit where the Scrip- 
ture puts it. 

"7th. It destroyed in this manner false standards which 
men and ministers had set up, and brought back obedience 
to the gospel and Scriptures as the test of remission. 

"8th. It discriminated between faith and hope, for the 
people instinctively felt that their feelings were not a 
proper standard by which to try their pardon and conver- 
sion. 

"9th. It proved what had not been seen before — that 
the Calvinistic and Arminian systems were one at last, and 
could both be resolved into arbitrary spiritual operations, 
and it introduced in form this Reformation. 

" 10th. It restored the creed of our religion to its proper 
place and eminence above all other things in the gospel. 

" nth. It harmonized our experience with Scripture by 
calling us to duty; for the experience of professors hereto- 
fore was at war with the Word of God, and was regarded 
as a standard of conversion. 

" 12th. It threw aside all those pompous but human 
words with which the gospel was loaded — such as total 
depravity, effectual calling, special operations, special 



284 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. * 

grace, general and special atonement, irresistible grace, 
common operations of the Spirit, special call, universal 
salvation, dead faith, dead letter, spiritual regeneration, 
sprinkling, pouring, crossing, sponsors, eternal justification, 
initial justification, Christian experience, spiritual faith, 
application of the Word by the Spirit, act of faith, direct 
and reflex acts of faith, feeling pardon; those highly dan- 
gerous technicalities which had long incumbered and 
obscured the gospel, and which had put down the language 
of Scripture, and made the Word of God of no effect ; 
were wholly negatived and laid aside. 

" 13th. It limited the faith and love of the gospel to a 
person ; not a doctrine or a fact. 

" 14th. It delivered from false centers of affection, as well 
as false centers of faith ; for while it held up the Lord Jesus 
in his divine nature for faith, it also held him up in his 
offices for affection; for it baptized men for remission of 
sins by his blood. A doctrine was no longer the center. 

" 15th. It rescued us from the dominion of false feelings 
and false experiences. 

"16th. One of the first effects of the advocacy was to 
give us the most distinct apprehension between faith and 
feeling, fancy and experience. ■ 

"17th. It was perfectly exclusive, and refused to make 
the slightest concession to the value of creeds — making the 
Bible the only rule and guide." 

Nearly all these matters are of prime importance, 
and most of them had, in a great measure, been lost 
sight of; and, in restoring' those evident truths, and 
the better practice which grew out of a clear precep- 
tion of them, he performed a work for which we 
can not be too grateful. In discovering the truths 
which had, in a measure, been lost, he also discovered 
the weakness of the errors which had been substi- 



NO CREED FOR SINNERS. 285 

tuted for the forgotten or neglected truth. Of the 
weakness and insufficiency of creeds, and the more 
excellent way of the Bible, he thus writes : 

" It is a truth of singular importance that sects 
make no creeds for sinners, but for their own party 
church. Their creeds are intended to show what 
their church believes ; all that they expect the sin- 
ner to believe is, that he has been the subject of 
special operations of the Spirit, and has been con- 
verted. The recovery of the truth, therefore, was 
really the recovery of a creed that belonged to the 
world ; this discovery had a world-wide importance, 
as will appear from the following arrangement : 

"1st. The truth recovered. 

" 2d. The analysis. 

" 3d. Baptism for the remission of sins. 

"4th. The invitation to immediate obedience. 

" 5th. Taking the converts and boldly baptizing 
them at onee. 

"The analysis, viz.: Faith, Repentance, Baptism, 
Gift of the Holy Spirit, and the Resurrection, was 
infinitely important, because it enabled us to see the 
difference between duty and blessing, principle and 
privilege; what God does in the matter of salvation 
for us, and what he has left us to do for ourselves. 
Faith, Repentance, and Baptism, are duties, as every 
person must admit ; Remission of Sins, the Gift 01 
the Holy Spirit, and the Resurrection are blessings, 
as all will allow. Now, we must not confound the 
one with the other — we must not put blessing before 
duty, This is the great error of Protestants and 
Catholics." 

Underlying all the great truths which he advocated 



286 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

was the thought of personal responsibility, that had 
been weakened by false teaching, and which he felt 
could and should be strengthened by a clearer under- 
standing of the truth. Leaving that out was one of 
the most mischievous errors of the prevalent religious 
teaching of the times, and its restoration one of the 
chief aims of Scott's labors. In. regard to this he says : 

"Responsibility to parents, teachers, and magis- 
trates, is a doctrine of such grave importance, that 
it can not for a moment be dispensed with in society. 
Any thing tending to impair this instinct is danger- 
ous to the morals and safety of mankind ; there is, 
indeed, without it no security to either life or property. 
It is the very condition of civilization, progress, and 
public tranquillity ; wherever the love of duty and 
the dread of law- have created the greatest amount 
of virtue, there public peace is placed on the most 
secure basis. 

" That there are doctrines abroad, however, which 
directly tend to weaken our sense of responsibility to 
God, and, indirectly, to society ; that fatalism has 
filled many with religious resentment ; that Calvinism 
has made men who believed it reckless and despair- 
ing, either because they saw not the evidence of their 
own election, or because they were maddened to ven- 
geance against God for, as they imagined, having, 
from all eternity, doomed them to damnation abso- 
lutely ; that is, as their creeds express it, ' without re- 
spect to good or evil, but simply as monuments to his 
vindictive justice,' is too well known to require proof. 
The doctrine that, above all others, signalized the re- 
inauguration of the original gospel was man's respon- 
sibility to God. On the validity of this, a draft 



HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY. 287 

was made on the faith of every congregation, and 
every individual to whom it was addressed. Every 
soul who heard was called upon, on the pain of con- 
demnation forthwith, to believe the gospel ; every 
man was urged to arise immediately and, without de- 
lay, ' repent and be baptized, for the remission of 
sins.' This was to bring the blessings of the gospel 
of the glorious God within the grasp of all minds, 
and to place men's responsibility where it ought to 
be — with themselves. They were to obey immedi- 
ately, and no apology would be accepted. This was 
not only to save many, but also to bring the public 
mind, directly or indirectly, under the solemn convic- 
tions of responsibility, and thereby make our holy 
religion the handmaid of society in which our do- 
mestic, municipal, and State, and national relations, 
obligations, and duties, required to be supported and 
invigorated by all the force of a higher authority — 
the authority of God. 

"Thus, the re-initiation of the primitive gospel was 
a grand accession of new strength to the moral forces 
of society, as well as the church, and taught all men 
every-where to evince, on all proper occasions, spon- 
taneously, a sense of common right and the suprem- 
acy of law. All the teachings of the various sects 
founded on arbitrary election, decrees, operations, ex- 
periences, rather than faith in Christ, were negatived, 
and the blessed Son of God, alone, as the impersona- 
tion of the Divinity, and the grand comprehension 
of our religion, was held forth alone for faith." 

Thus, a living personal Christ was substituted for 
dry and often repulsive doctrines which had in them 
no food for the hungry soul ; and a sense of personal 



283 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

responsibility, and the need of immediate obedience 
was substituted for a paralyzing fatalism, and the pas- 
sive waiting for God's own good time and way — as if 
God were not ever ready to bless — as if prophets and 
apostles had never cried " turn ye, turn ye ; " as if 
Christ had never said, earnest and tenderly, " Come 
unto me." 

The importance of this portion of his work can 
scarcely be overestimated ; it was not the restoration 
of an ordinance to its proper place, or a better ar- 
rangement of some one item of the gospel ; but it 
was the settling of the true relation of God and man 
to each other — showing that man was not powerless 
and dead, but able to understand his Maker's voice 
and obey his mandates ; and that God would be 
gracious and forgiving to all that would hear, and turn, 
and live. The God of the popular theology was one 
like the Mexican General who ordered every tenth 
man of his prisoners to be shot, no matter who he 
might prove to be — and men were like those pris- 
oners awaiting the sentence without knowing how to 
avert it, or where it would fall. The God of the 
Bible, whom Scott delighted to present to the minds 
and hearts of his hearers, was the Father of the Prod- 
igal, tender, compassionate, forgiving ; the sinner, the 
Prodigal himself, reckless, wayward, wretched, sinful, 
yet capable of the high resolve, " I will arise, and go 
to my Father;" capable of feeling his Father's ten- 
derness, and being melted by it when he took him in 
his warm embrace ; capable of sobbing out his peni- 
tence and sorrow; capable of being gladdened by his 
welcome and pardon. 

The chief feature in the labors of Scott is, that he 



SEEKING OLD PA 771 S. 



289 



added no new elements to religion, as did the founders 
of all other religious sects and parties ; he simply 
called attention, long, earnestly, and persistently, 
to truths once well known, but, in a great measure, 
forgotten ; and arranged -in their original order the 
elements which were universally regarded as con- 
stituent parts of the New Testament, but which had 
lost much of their power on account of the perverted, 
and, in some instances, inverted order in which they 
were taught and practiced. A Christian experience, 
when he began his labors, was required before a pro- 
fession of faith in Christ had been made ; the* ordi- 
nance of baptism was made to precede teaching, faith, 
and penitence ; and the Holy Spirit, which was 
promised to those that believed, was, almost univer- 
sally, taught to be sent to the sinner, to enable him to 
believe; the theory being prevalent that, while men 
could believe almost any body or any thing, they 
had not power to believe what God said to them in 
his Word, without tfe-e supernatural help of the Spirit 
of God. Without this Spirit to enlighten, produce 
faith, and regenerate the man, not a step toward God 
could be made ; while the Scriptures expressly taught 
"that not to make them sons, but because they were 
sons, God had sent forth the Spirit of his Son into 
their hearts, crying Abba Father." Gal. 4: 6. Such 
a thing as being baptized on a simple profession of 
faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, would have 
been regarded not only as a novelty in those times, but 
a heresy; and nothing would have been further from 
the teaching and practice of the day than to hold 
that a man may become a Christian by simply follow- 
ing the instructions given by the apostles to those 
25 



29O LIFE OF ELDER, WALTER SCOTT. 

who desired to know the way of life, or by doing just 
what was done by those who, under their labors, were 
brought into the fold of God. 

To return to these old and forgotten paths was the 
great object of Scott's labors, and not many years 
had passed after he had thrown all else away, until 
his preaching, and that of his fellow-laborers was dis- 
tinguished by the expressions, " The true gospel," 
" The original gospel," " The primitive gospel," " The 
Pentecostian gospel," and "The Jerusalem gospel;" 
none of these terms were current prior to that time, 
and their very use proves at least that he and they 
claimed to preach that gospel to which all these expres- 
sions pointed. In a word, there was nothing new in the 
movement in which he was engaged ; let us examine 
it and we shall find nothing at all resembling the 
novelties and pecularities. which characterized the la- 
bors of Calvin, Fox, Wesley, and all other religious 
reformers. What is Calvinism, but a religious philos- 
ophy ? Quakerism, but a religion without ordi- 
nances, and practically without a Bible, since much 
of its plain teaching is ignored, and more superseded 
by the "inner light" by which its adherents profess 
to be guided. Wesley's system is an amended form 
of Episcopalianism ; among its novelties, unknown to ; 
the Bible, are its class, and band meetings, its system . 
of probation — a six months' trial, and doctrine of 
perfection ; and all of them with a membership of 
infants not recognized in the New Testament, and 
doctrines which do not admit of being expressed in 
the language of the Word of God. Calvinism has 
its five points, which are directly antagonized by the 
five points of Arminianism, and every one of which. 



I 



ERRORS OF OTHER REFORMERS. 29 r 

moreover, may be antagonized by express declarations 
of the Word of God. But in the permanent and 
practical recovery and reorganization of the true gos- 
pel, there is nothing liable to the objections which 
may be urged with truth against all the systems in 
which so much of the human is mingled with the 
divine. 

He saw the error into which the various reformers 
had fallen, and carefully avoided them, and, while 
against the six months' trial of Methodism, the teach- 
ing of Scripture might be urged, that converts "were 
added to the church the same day," and against the 
particular redemption and final perseverance of Cal- 
vinism may be urged the declarations that " he, by 
the grace pf God, tasted death for every man," and 
the If, full of meaning in "If ye do these things, ye 
shall never fall," who can find an objection either in 
reason or Scripture against the course pursued by 
Scott, which was to set forth the Lord Jesus Christ 
as the object of faith — to insist on hearing Him as 
God had enjoined — to insist on repentance unto life, 
and instant obedience to be shown in baptism for re- 
mission through his blood, followed by the rich 
promise of the gift of the Spirit, and the hope of 
eternal life. In regard to this point he says : " With- 
out more accurate views of the first principles of the 
gospel than Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Carson, and 
Haldane seem to have possessed, it would have been 
hazardous, nay, presumptuous, to have created, a new 
party ; this would have been only to create a new 
sect. I did not indulge in enthusiasm ; I left behind 
no blunders to be corrected ; " and this he said be- 
cause he had framed no new theory,* invented no 



. 



292 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

strange doctrine, but bnilded on the firm foundation 
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the 
chief corner-stone. He neither despised nor dis- 
paraged the work of those great and good men, 
whose work, though imperfect, had prepared the way 
for his own ; but realizing that all errors and mis- 
takes had arisen from a departure from the Word 
of God, he determined to sit at the feet of the Great 
Teacher, and teach no other lessons than those which 
he gave. 

He made the Word of God his companion by day, 
and meditated upon it in the night-watches, and, in 
consequence, made much of its language his own, so 
that he could draw freely on his memory for the 
choicest things in the Book of God ; and from this 
rich treasury he brought forth freely things new and 
old. Like David, his heart inclined to the law of the 
Lord, and thus, at. times, his thoughts concerning it 
would flow : Oh, Book of God ! thou sacred temple ! 
thou holy place ! thou gold incense altar !. thou heav- 
enly shew-bread! thou cherubim-embroidered vail \ 
thou mercy-seat of beaten gold ! thou Shekinah in 
which the divinity is enshrined ! thou ark of the cov- 
enant ! thou new creation ! thou tree of life, whose 
sacred leaves heal the nations ! thou river of life, whose 
waters cleanse and refresh the world ! thou New Jerusa- 
lem, resplendent with gems and gold ! thou Paradise of 
God, wherein walks the second Adam ! thou throne 
of God and the Lamb ! thou peace-promising rain- 
bow, encircling that throne, unsullied and unfallen ! 
Image of God and his Son who sit thereon, what a 
futurity of dignity, kingly majesty, and eternal glory 
is hidden in thee ! thou art my comfort in the house 



APOSTROPHE TO THE BIBLE. 293 

of my pilgrimage. Let the kings and counselors of 
the earth, and princes, who have got gold and silver, 
build for themselves sepulchers in solitary places, but 
mine, ok, be it mine, to die in the Lord ! Then 
"earth to earth, and dust to dust," but the great 
mausoleum, the Word of the Lord, be the shrine of 
my soul. 



1 



234 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Social qualities of Elder Scott — Trip up the Ohio River, and pleasing inci- 
dents connected with it — Letter from one of the ministers whose 
acquaintance he made on the voyage. 

THE social qualities of Elder Scott were of a high 
order; he possessed in a remarkable degree the 
power of adapting himself to any company into which 
he might be thrown. Many persons need the stimulus 
of an audience to call forth their best efforts ; but he 
was often as happy and fascinating in his presenta- 
tion of truth in the presence of a few as when before 
a large and delighted auditory. His ready wit, and 
flow of anecdote, his large and intimate acquaintance 
with science and literature, rendered him the center of 
every circle, no matter how accomplished and refined 
that circle might be. His manners were those of an 
accomplished gentleman, and the brilliancy of his con- 
versation; and the kindness of his heart, always made 
him a favorite, and, in not a few instances, gained him 
the lasting friendship of those who differed from him 
when they met ; but were very near his way of think- 
ing when they parted. 

He numbered among his personal friends many emi- 
nent men in the various religious denominations; and 
the facility with which he formed such friendships 
may be learned from the following account of a trip 
up the Ohio. On the last day of the year 1833, in 
company with Bro. Joseph Bryant, he started on a 



A STEAMBOAT SCENE. 295 

visit to Virginia, and as travel in those days was a 
more serious affair than the present, it took several 
days to make the voyage from Cincinnati to Wheel- 
ing, during which time he made several useful ac- 
quaintances, and sowed much good seed. How this 
was done we will let him tell the reader himself. He 
says : 

"We were detained a day in the city for want of a boat, 
but now the steamers lay panting along the shore, like so 
many racers, each eager to make the first descent to Louis- 
ville, Natchez, or New Orleans. We boarded the 'Planter,' 
a steamer of the lowest rate in point of size, but possess- 
ing the best accommodations for deck and cabin passengers. 
After a momentary hesitation I entered my name for 
Wellsburgh, birth No. 12. My indecision rose from a 
sudden but transient recollection of my late long debility, 
during which I had contracted the most invincible love of 
home. Bro. Bryant rallied me a little, and I yielded to 
what I was ashamed to resist. 

"Next day the bell rang the signal for departure, and 
the deck and cabin were crowded i?istanter. In the cabin 
the passengers walked stately, or talked importantly, while 
some hung on the back of their chairs ; and, like birds, when 
boys approach their haunts, couched their heads, and cast 
frequent and speculative glances at their fellows, hoping to 
descry in their faces, dresses, walk, or talk, indications of 
their natural, social, or religious importance and character. 

" There are many charms, and sometimes much excel- 
lent fellowship, in a good supper. The captain of the 
'Planter' served us with one of the verv best; and soon 
exalted all minds to the conversational pitch. If silence or 
gloom had hitherto pervaded the cabin, it might have been 
owing to a fact of which I was not then aware, namely, 
that there were actually no fewer than five ministers 



296 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

present ! all alike strangers to each other, and to the rest 
of the company generally. I, like others, perhaps, thought 
myself unknown except by Bro. Bryant ; but in this I wn 
mistaken ; I was recognized immediately, and spoken to 
by all as if I had previously enjoyed the honor of their ac- 
quaintance. Some were citizens of Cincinnati, some rela- 
tions to brethren in the West, and some were actually of 
the brethren. 

"One of the ministers was a Presbyterian, who, as he 
afterward informed me, had been a physician, but had 
become a teacher of religion, from sentiments of high re- 
gard for the interests of Christianity ; his name was Mr. 
Gridly, at that time an agent of the Tract Society. ' Mr. 
Gridly was too sincerely inspired with the importance of 
religion in general, and of his own mission in particular, 
not to let his high calling be speedily understood. 

"Another of our ministers was a Mr. Smeed, an Episco- 
palian, an assistant to the Rector of Christ's Church, New 
York. Possessed of the most pleasing exterior, Mr. Smeed 
discovered the greatest candor and ingenuousness of mind, 
speaking freely of every thing which related to the truth 
of revealed religion, and doing the greatest honor to every 
argument of those whose views led them to differ from him 

in any matter in Christianity. Dr. M e of L n 

had, during his visit to that city, convinced him that im- 
mersion alone was baptism ; and before he left the 'Planter ' 
his ingenuousness and love of truth led him to afford me 
ample opportunity of laying before him the doctrine of 
Scripture, concerning the Holy Spirit. He admitted the 
adequacy of the divine testimony alone to produce faith in 
all who read the Scriptures with proper motives ; and said, 
he thought he never would again direct sinners to wait 
upon special operations so long as he lived. I earnestly 
entreated him to announce the gospel in the style and lan- 
guage of the apostles, and to administer it to believers ac- 
cordingly. 



FIVE PREACHERS MEET. 297 

" Mr. Ross had been a Universalist, and was, as he 
jocularly expressed it, a sp7'ig of the college. He had in 
his youth been thoroughly drilled in the elements of the 
learned languages, but- his talents were allowed to languish, 
and his education was incomplete. He heard my dis- 
courses and reasoning on the ancient gospel with un- 
feigned pleasure, and, in the presence of all the passengers, 
expressed his gratitude to God for being permitted that day 
to hear announced and defended a thing of which he had 
been told so many wonderful but erroneous stories. Mr. 
Ross finally admitted the views of the Reformers, and 
declared he never could forget the things which had, dur- 
ing the voyage up the river, been submitted to his con- 
sideration. 

" Our fourth minister belonged to the Dutch Reformed. 
He was a German by birth, and had not been more than 
one year -in the United States. He was certainly a pious 
man, but he spoke English very indifferently; for want of 
words, he could not express himself in such a manner as to 
render his conversation agreeable either to himself or 
others. He parted with the company in tears, and wished 
us individually the divine blessing. 

" Here we were then, five of us cooped up with nearly 
thirty more, all as impatient and undoubting on the sub- 
ject of religion, perhaps, as ourselves ! What was to be 
done ? What was to be expected ? Any thing but war ! 
t Nothing but war. Being somewhat indisposed I had 
hoped my debilitated and sunken frame would have been 
permitted to indulge in ease during our three or four days 
journey up the river, but no, 'war in the wigwam; ' there 
is no rest here. 

"It is singular to contemplate how much the prejudices 
of thousands have been touched and stirred up by the 
restoration of the Baptism of Remission, and the Scripture 
account of the Holy Spirit. Here was a whole cabin full 
of men, ignorant, entirely ignorant, of the character of the 



298 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

Reformers who plead for the original gospel, and of every 
circumstance relative to its re-appearance in society; yet, 
perhaps, there was not a single individual among them 
wholly unacquainted with the points of dispute between us, 
and all other parties on the field. 

"We were soon invited to hostilities; Mr. Gridly was 
neither ashamed of his religion, nor aware of the indefensi- 
bility of some of his sentiments, as a minister of the Pres- 
byterian body. Baptism, therefore, baptism, that bone of 
contention, between those who immerse and those who do 
any thing else was soon upon the carpet. But Professor 
Stuart has settled this question in regard to Presbyterians ; 
Mr. Gridly, therefore, was unable to stand a single minute 
before his learned brother's criticism, the Andover Profes- 
sor. Indeed, Mr. Gridly did not seem aware of the mis- 
chief which Mr. Stuart had done to the sprinkling cause, 
but he was made to feel it severely ; for a regular Baptist, 
who made one of our number, urged upon him, with much 
gravity, both the truth and potency of the Professor's 
criticism. One of the Plinys says, that true glory consists 
in doing things worthy of being written, of writing things 
worthy of being read, and leaving the world (ourselves) the 
better of having lived in it. The skirmish which took 
place this evening, however, seemed only to whet up the 
courage of those engaged in it for more and better defined 
contention. Whether we, this night, dreamed of victory 
and triumph, I know not; but sure it is that a more eager 
discussion of religious matters than was "lighted up aboard 
the ' Planter' next morning I never witnessed. It is pleas- 
ing to add, however, that never were religious men better 
pleased with each other, or apparently more solicitous to 
honor the sentiments and sincerity of each other, than the 
passengers aboard the ' Planter. ' 

" Mr. Gridly is a very accomplished man, and, as he in- 
formed us, is at present engaged as an agent of the Tract 
Society; I told him that on condition he would admit cer- 



FRIENDL Y DISCUSSION. 



299 



tain premises, I felt perfectly willing to take the opposite 
of a proposition which he had asserted and assumed in his 
conversation with a gentlemen who sat by us. I continued 
to observe, that he had intimated, that 'faith came by a 
special internal operation of the Holy Spirit.' Now, this 
was precisely what I denied, and I should be very happy to 
hear him on the affirmative, on condition that we should 
first define the subject of the proposition, namely, faith ; 
and, secondly, that the Holy Scriptures should be taken as 
all authority, and as the only authority, in the case. Mr. 
Gridly agreed to these two preliminaries, and the word was 
submitted for definition. Being requested to speak first, I 
supplied, of course, the apostolical exposition of faith, 
found in the nth of the Hebrews, accompanied with a 
sufficient number of suitable illustrations drawn from 
the same chapter. Mr. Gridly then proceeded, and 
after an incomprehensible definition of faith, not in the 
words of Scripture, but in his own words, unaccom- 
panied by one single illustration. I replied, and appealed 
to the numerous auditors, whether Mr. Gridly had not de- 
parted wholly from the premises, ' that the Scriptures 
should be exclusive authority in the case ? ' I went for the 
very words of Scripture in the matter of definition, and, 
agreeably, had submitted the apostle's account of faith in 
the words of the apostle. The question now was, whether 
this definition could be received as unexceptionable. Mr. 
Gridly assented to it as unexceptionable, and the proposi- 
tion in form came forthwith upon the carpet ; the several 
ministers seemed to draw nearer and closer, and Mr. 
Gridly stated the proposition to be discussed, namely, 
' That special operations of the Holy Spirit are necessary 
to faith.' 

" Mr. Gridly then adduced as argument for the affirmative, 
the words of the Lord Jesus, namely, ' When he, the Holy 
Spirit, is come, he will convince the world of sin, of right- 
eousness, and of judgment.' This was conceived to be in 



300 • LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

point. But in answer, it was replied, that although the 
Spirit was to convince the world of sin, of righteous- 
ness, and of judgment, it was not asserted in the verse that 
he should convince them of faith, or that he should give 
them faith. On the contrary, he was to convince them of 
sin, because they had no faith. He shall convince them 
of sin, 'because,' said the Lord, ' they believe not on me.' 
Moreover, if the Holy Spirit is to give us faith, and con- 
vince us of sin because we have it not, then religion is 
founded in cruelty and absurdity; for, how could he con- 
vince me of sin in having no faith if it were his own inde- 
feasible - office by internal uncontrollable operations to 
bestow upon me this grace ? As well might he assume to 
convince a man of sin, in not seeing when he was born 
blind ! Neither reason nor the Scripture adduced favored 
the affirmatiori that special operations are necessary to faith. 

"It was then proposed, as a second authority, that 
Stephen said to those who condemned him, 'Ye do always 
resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye.' 
This, it was conceived, very much countenanced special 
operations. 

"In reply: It is to be admitted that they and their 
fathers were guilty of the same sin ; that is, they both 
resisted the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit spoke to their 
fathers by the prophets, and to them by the apostles; they 
and their fathers, then, had resisted him. But where was 
he when they resisted him? Was he in them and their 
fathers, or in the apostles and' prophets? In the apostles 
and prophets without doubt! The spirit of the devil wsfs 
in them and their fathers, and led them to offer despite to 
the Spirit of God who wrought before them, for their salva- 
tion, all mighty signs, and wonders, and powers, and 
miracles, and glorious works ! 

"Before the examination of this part of Mr. Gridly's 
argument was finished, Mr. Smeed, the Episcopalian clergy- 
man, a gentleman alike distinguished for personal beauty 



FRIENDLY DISCUSSION. 301 

and ingenuousness of mind, supplied Mr. Gridly with an- 
other Scripture, viz. : * No man can say that Jesus is the 
Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.' 

" In reply : It was asked, whether the operations, by 
which we were enabled to believe in Jesus and say he is 
the Lord, were internal or external? I asserted they were 
external in signs, and miracles; and adduced, as proof, the 
case of John the Baptist, who said he knew him not ; but 
received the external sign of the Spirit's descent as that 
by which he should know him. ' And I saw and bare wit- 
ness,' said John, 'that this is the Son of God.' The case 
of the twelve apostles, the people on Pentecost, the Samari- 
tans, and others, were then brought forward as instances of 
the same nature, and to the same point. 

" Here dinner was announced, and, everyone starting to 
his feet, the Universalist clergyman, Mr'. Ross, a person 
of great respectability, and known to several gentleman in 
the cabin, availed himself of the occasion and publicly 
thanked God he had been favored with an opportunity of 
hearing stated and defended the sentiments for which I 
pleaded namely, that ' faith cometh by hearing and not by 
special operations of the Spirit.' The above gentleman 
was finally convinced of the truth of the ancient gospel, 
and expressed a serious regret that our present accidental, 
but interesting, interview, was to suffer interruption by an 
unavoidable separation. 

"Mr." Gridly confessed that his opponent had managed 
the argument with great coolness, but could not help think- 
ing that his course owed more to his ingenuity and subtlety 
of reason than the Holy Scriptures. 

"His opponent admired Mr. Gridly's manner of escap- 
ing from the horns of the dilemma, between which he had 
been thrown. Much had been adduced to show that faith 
came by hearing, but nothing satisfactory that it came in 
the manner asserted by Mr. Gridly. 

"Mr. Ross, the Universalist minister, is a gentleman 



302 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

of great urbanity, and has received a good education. He 
listened to an explication of our sentiments with great ap- 
parent satisfaction, and seemed much to admire the ancient 
gospel. 

" For the entertainment of the company during the 
afternoon,, it was agreed to by the ministers, that each of 
them should speak for fifteen minutes on some select sub- 
ject, but not in the way of replication to any thing that had 
been spoken before, or that might be said in the course 
of the entertainment. 

" Mr. Smeed, the Episcopalian, being requested to com- 
mence, declined, as being the youngest ; and Mr. Ross to 
a like solicitation, replied in the negative, and apologized 
as being the oldest ; being neither so young as Mr. Smeed, 
nor so old as Mr. Ross, I was left without excuse, and, at 
the earnest request of the company, opened the entertain- 
ment by a discourse on the ' Unity and variety of the Gos- 
pel ; ' Mr. Gridly followed on ' True Repentance ; ' Mr. 
Smeed selected for a theme, * The Nature of Genuine and 
Scriptural Liberality ; ' and Mr. Ross concluded on ' The 
Necessity of Immediately Preparing for that State which 
is to succeed the Present.' 

"Next night it was agreed that each should speak for 
an indefinite time on any subject he pleased to select. 
Mr. Gridly spoke first, and chose for a topic, ' Regenera- 
tion.' I spoke next, and selected for a theme, 'The 
Literal and Figurative Representations which are given of 
the Gospel in the New Testament.' 

"In the course of this speech it was shown that the 
gospel in principle is faith; it is repentance, baptism, re- 
mission of sins, the Holy Spirit, eternal life. These 
privileges and principles, it was vouched, constituted the 
gospel literally. The question was then asked, ' What is 
the gospel figuratively ? ' In answer, it was stated that 
the gospel figuratively is many a thing; it is-a new birth, 
a burial, a resurrection, a death, an ingrafting, a marriage; 



MR. SMEEHS DISCOURSE. 303 

but it is a most important fact, in relation to figures, how- 
ever, that they are not intended to add to, or diminish 
from, the literal sense of the gospel ; for whether metaphor- 
ized by a birth, a marriage, or a death, the gospel, literally, 
is ever the same in principle; in practice, in privilege, and 
in spirit, it is still the same. A metaphor, like a ray of light, 
falling on the face of a clock, and discovering the hour of 
day without disturbing the index, sheds a lustre on the 
thing metaphorized, and gives to it a vivacity and spright- 
liness not its own ; but it disturbs not its parts, it interferes 
not with its structure. 

"Why, then, do men fail to be intelligible and per- 
spicuous when they discourse on the figures and metaphors 
employed to give lustre and sprightliness to the gospel, 
and to parts and points in the gospel ? 

The reason is, that figure is orfly to be explained by 
fact, and the metaphorical by the literal ; a person ignorant 
of the fact must be ignorant of the figure, and no man can 
explain the metaphorical who does not first understand 
the literal. Why have we so many incoherent and absurd* 
theories of regeneration ? I answer,, simply because the au- 
thors of them are ignorant of the literal gospel, and unfor- 
tunately imagine that it is one thing in fact, and another 
in figure. But, although the gospel were held up in a mill- 
ion of different figures, it would literally still be the same ; 
it would still be faith in principle, reformation in practice, 
loye in sentiment, pardon, the Spirit, and life eternal. 

"Mr. Smeed proposed the three following propositions, 
and spoke on them with great force and beauty. 

" 1st. God loves all men. 

"• 2d. He has provided salvation for all men. 

"3d. He has put the means of obtaining this salvation 
equally within the power of all men who have the gospel. 

" Mr. Smted possesses a fine exterior, and many personal 
accomplishments, nor is he less distinguished for the ami- 
able and shining qualities of the mind ; but I am sorry to 



304 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

say, that his beautiful and forcible speech ended with the 
common error that, over and above the divine testimony, 
spiritual operations are necessary to belief. 

" In subsequent conversation, however, this gentleman 
afforded me ample. opportunity of pointing out this error 1 , 
and of laying before him the ancient gospel, and particu- 
larly that point in it which relates to the Spirit. He heard 
me with much patience ; understood me perfectly, that the 
Spirit was promised not to sinners, but to the saints ; saw 
where Episcopalians and Presbyterians were one, and that 
though Mr. Gridly and he had spoken on different topics, 
and were known by different party names, yet they came 
out at the same ""point at last, namely, that l the Spirit is 
necessary to faith.' 

" Next morning another sortie from both camps brought 
Mr. Gridly and myseff once more upon the carpet, and 
afforded me a final opportunity of bringing the gospel 
before the whole company. 

"Never did I sit in company with men of greater 
'decency of behavior; every one seemed to strive with all 
the rest to make himself agreeable. The captain of the 
* Planter ' is a sensible, kind, quiet, attentive man ; and 
when we came to part, each took down, in his pocket- 
book, the names of all the others, that he might at least 
remember those in whose company he had tasted so many 
of those pleasing attentions which render life agreeable. 

"As we ascended the river the ice increased, and the 
paddles had to be cleared from the masses of it, which now 
greatly impeded our progress ; this difficulty obviated, we 
proceeded upward, and arrived at Wheeling a little after 
dusk. The boat was unable to proceed to Pittsburg, and 
of consequence, all parted, perhaps never to meet again. 

"This evening, we met with the brethren in Wheeling, 
who were as much surprised at our appearance as I was 
delighted with their company. Next morning we took our 



MR. ROSS'S LETTER. 305 

leave of them, and proceeded, Bro. Bryant and myself, 
towards Wellsburg. Praised be the name of the Lord." 

The impression made upon his fellow-voyagers 
may be learned by the following portions of a letter 
from one of them, Rev. Mr. Ross. 

" Oxford, New York, July isi, 1834. 

"Rev. Walter Scott, 

"Dear Sir: About a week after I parted »with you I 
endeavored to cross the .river to go to Wheeling; I went 
over to the island, but could not cross the other part of 
the river on account of the ice; I had, however, a pleasant 
view of the place, but my attention was especially directed 
to the steamboat, Planter, still lying there. This vessel 
immediately put me in mind of all those delightful emo- 
tions of Christian love and friendship which we enjoyed 
in her cabin, and which, I devoutly pray, may continue 
until the consummation of all things. We shall not soon 
forget the politeness of the captain, crew, and passengers, 
for every one appeared anxious to make all the rest happy. 
And when it became known that there was. a number of 
preachers on board, and that some of the passengers de- 
sired to hear preaching, how easily was every thing accom- 
modated to their and our wishes ! Those of a different 
taste, politely withdrawing, or else conforming to those 
who seemed by their conduct to say with the Psalmist, 
' Oh, come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel be- 
fore the Lord our Maker!' There 'we sat down,' and 
rejoiced ' when we remembered Zion ; ' and although we 
were a mixed multitude of different denominations, yet 
when one of the company said ' sing us one of the songs 
of Zion,' we did not answer, as in the days of old, ' How 
shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land ! ' but, 
26 



306 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

with united heart and voices, we could praise the Lord in 
such words as the following : 

" ' The hill of Zion yields 
A thousand sacred sweets, 
Before we reach the heav'nly fields, 
Or walk the golden streets.' 

" Should you ever happen to meet any of that company 
you will please to tell them that they still live in my affec- 
tionate remembrance, and that I hope to meet them in 
another ancl better world. Oh, my brethren ! what is 
there upon earth to be compared with Christian frienol- 
ship ! ' Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren 
to dwell together in unity ; it is like the precious ointment 
upon the beard, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's 
beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments, as the 
dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the 
mountains of Zion.' I have frequently thought over the 
scene of happiness there enjoyed, free from all the cares 
of life, surrounded by kind friends who loved us, amidst 
'the feast of reason and the flow of soul,' and have uni- 
formly pronounced it one of my happiest hours in the 
Christian journey ; and I feel the deepest emotions of re- 
gret when I consider the improbability of ever being pres- 
ent (in this world^) at such an union of different denom- 
inations. Did it not remind you of that period when the 
Watchmen shall see eye to eye ? When Ephraim shall not 
vex Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim ? 

"I crossed the river at Wellsburg— went to Pittsburg, 
and arrived at home about the ist of February, having en- 
countered many accidents peculiar to the winter season ; 
but, notwithstanding all the difficulties, I made a very 
happy visit to Ohio, and never shall I forget the kindness 
of my friends there ; indeed, the kind treatment of the 
people, generally, has left a grateful impression on my 
mind, which can never, except by death, be effaced. 1 



J/A\ BOSS'S LETTER. 30; 

am delighted with the State of Ohio, and when I was with 
you I felt as if I must move my little family there; but I 
find that I can be happy anywhere,, with the peace of God 
and the friendship of my neighbors. But whether I re- 
move there or not, I hope I shall visit you and the rest of 
my friends there, if I am spared. I assure you that I am 
exceedingly delighted with the Christian love and harmony 
which prevail in your society ; it often reminds me of the 
primitive Christians. I devoutly pray for your general 
prosperity as a society, and that God may especially bless 
your labors for the good of his church, and that we may 
spend a happy eternity with each other. 

"I am, dear sir, yours, most affectionately, 

"Samuel Ross." 



308 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



CHAPTER XX. 

Visit to Kentucky— Effects of first and second sermon — Visits Henry Clay 
and Col. R. M. Johnson — Meets the widow of Alexander Hamilton — 
Visit to Bethany, Va., Pittsburg, Pa., and Warren, Ohio — Letter from 
Elder Bentley. 

UP to this time the labors of Scott had been con- 
fined, in a great measure, to Ohio, Pennsylvania, 
and Virginia ; but he now began to turn his attention 
to Kentucky, where the Reformation was making great 
progress. Several of the preachers from that State 
had visited him at Carthage, and had formed a very 
high opinion of his ability as a preacher ; he was widely 
known also to many there through his paper, and 
there was a great desire to see and hear him ; and, in 
the spring of 1835, ne spent some six weeks in what 
is known as the " Blue Grass region." 

His first discourse was at Georgetown, and failed to 
come up to the general expectation, which, as is usual 
on such occasions, was far too high ; but the brethren 
gathered round him and spoke encouragingly, and when 
they gathered for the evening discourse every thing was 
more favorable than it had been in the morning ; then, 
all was expectation and curiosity, a strange audience, 
and a strange preacher were before each other, the 
former eager and critical, the latter aware of it, and 
doubtful of sustaining the opinion which those who 
had heard him elsewhere had widely and- freely ex- 
pressed ; now, however, a change had taken place, 



PRE A CHES AT GEO R GE TO IVN. 509 

the extravagant expectation on the part of the audi- 
ence had abated — the morning discourse, though not 
brilliant and eloquent, was felt to be thoughtful and 
instructive, and the preacher, if not an orator, an 
earnest and cultivated man. The preacher felt that 
too much was not expected, as in the morning ; the 
songs which preceded the sermon were cheering, the 
confidence which showed itself in the faces of his 
brethren encouraging; he felt that he had a place in 
their hearts, and that their prayers were going up in 
his behalf. He arose to speak, a different man, his 
discourse far surpassed all that his most sanguine 
friends had hoped — the public were • surprised and 
delighted. 

Elder L. H. Jamison, who had accompanied him- 
from Ohio, says : " His theme was the struggle of the 
Messiah against the reign of sin, and the glorious 
victory of the Son of God. The after-part of the dis- 
course was a continued series of most eloquent pas- 
sages. One passage is fresh in my memory still. He 
undertook to describe the casting out of the Prince 
of Darkness. Satan falling as lightning from heaven. 
Hurled from the battlements of light down to eternal 
darkness, and .interminable woe, by the all-powerful 
hand of the Son of God. Then was heard the glori- 
ous song of redemption, through all the heavenly 
clime. Ten thousand times ten thousand, and thou- 
sands of thousands of angels, on harps of gold, re- 
sponded to the glorious song, and filled the heaven 
and the heaven of heavens with such a strain of 
praise as never before had greeted the ears of the 
first-born sons of light. The appearance and man- 
ner of the speaker was fully up to his theme. He 



3IO LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

made us see and hear what he was describing. The 
discourse was in keeping with his train of thought — at 
the time on the death of Christ — in its relations and 
uses, in the great plan of human Redemption." 

He next visited Lexington, and, while there, he 
says : 

" We did ourselves the honor this morning to visit, at 
his own farm, one and a half miles from Lexington, the 
distinguished American statesman, Henry Clay. We 
passed from the main road to the mansion-house of Mr. 
Clay by a circular avenue of poplars and pines, which 
made me fancy myself once more in old Scotia, where 
such trees form the common timber of the country, and 
must be remarkable in this only because they are a species 
"of evergreen, and do not shed their crop of green needles 
until they are pushed from their places by those of the 
succeeding year. 

"The farm must be a delightful spot in the spring, sum- 
mer, and autumn, as its appearance was beautiful even at 
this early season ; but circumstances did not admit us de- 
laying to examine it and- the imported breeds of cattle 
with which, we were informed, it has been stocked by its 
distinguished owner. We only gave an en passant glance 
at its extended lawns and spreading forests as we advanced 
to the house. When we had ascended the flight of stone 
stairs which lead to the front door, we were received by a 
well-bred colored servant, who invited us into the saloon, 
and announced us to his master. Mr. Clay received us in 
a very gracious manner indeed, and by an act of real kind- 
ness instantly dissipated the slight trepidation which I, for 
one, felt as a person visiting, for the .first time a great and 
celebrated man whom I had never seen, and to whom, even 
now, I had no letter of introduction. The parlor, in which 
we found Mr. Clay, gave evidence, by its furniture and 
ornaments, both of the taste and quality of its owner ; it 






VISIT TO HENR V CIA V. 3 I I 

was of a semi-circular form, with windows in the corners 
reaching from the floor almost to the ceiling ; these were 
hung with sky-colored curtains which gave it an air of great 
cheerfulness. The floor was covered with carpet, and the 
pieces of .furniture were few in number; this last incident 
very much suited my taste, for, of all things in the world, 
I dislike a room crowded with furniture till, there is scarce 
space left to turn about in without incommoding your fel- 
lows. Those who do so, display much wealth and taste, 
and would seem to trust their cause for respect rather to 
the animal than to the rational among those who visit 
them. Portraits of Washington and other eminent indi- 
viduals were hanging around the room ; and, upon the 
whole, it was a sweet apartment, containing nothing that 
could make either poor men afraid or rich men ashamed. 
Men in public life should be careful how they furnish their 
houses and clothe their persons ; for to dress in such vulgar 
garments as to make the rich ashamed, or in such courtly 
~ones as to make the poor afraid, is, to say the least of it, 
injudicious ; good and great men should trust their cause 
for respect chiefly to their own public performances, to 
their private virtues, and to the more estimable and exalted 
qualities of their superior minds. 

"Mr. Clay was clothed in the most modest suit imaginable, 
and, by his appearance, made us feel as if we were in the 
presence of a person not at all beneath us, nor so high above 
us, but that we could be perfectly easy, and speak to him 
what we wished to say, and, also, to ask of him what we 
desired to know. In person, Mr. Clay would be esteemed 
tall, and he is very well formed; his whole appearance 
strongly represented to me the person of a very respectable 
Presbyterian or Episcopalian clergyman in the advance 
of life. 

"There is nothing striking in the expression of Mr. 
Clay's face while at ease or unoccupied, but it may be, and 
I dare say it is, very different, when all his features are 



312 LIFE OF ELDER WAITER SCOTT. 

lighted up by the inspiration of a great political question, 
and he stands in the halls of legislation, surrounded by 
innumerable admiring statesmen, lawyers, ambassadors, 
orators, and men of science, pouring forth, on a great 
topic, in deep, mellow tones, the unconstrained deluge of 
his superior eloquence. There is, in the contour of his 
face, more reflection than perception ; and his eye, conse- 
quently, discovers more of the sedateness of supreme talent 
than the restlessness of peculiar genius. He is exceedingly 
good looking, and has a kind, condescending address. 

"As we had seen the great lawyer and statesman, Henry 
Clay, so we felt anxious to see the great soldier and states- 
man, Colonel Richard .M. Johnson, also. Accordingly, 
we set out, after our return to Georgetown, in company 
with his brother, John T. Johnson, to the place of the 
Colonel's residence, a distance of about seven miles. The 
colonel gave us a round, hearty welcome, as was befitting 
a soldier, and willing to gratify us by every means in his 
power. Being requested, he spoke freely of the battle 
of the Thames, and of his own encounter with Chief 
Tecumseh; but I learned afterward, from an account of 
that well-fought field, which I got from Captain Wall, who 
was, one of the forlorn hope in the fray, that the colonel 
had suppressed several very striking incidents relative to 
his own personal bravery and patriotism on that dreadful 
day. It was truly affecting to behold the wounds of this 
gallant old soldier. The bullet shot by Tecumseh passed 
through his hand and arm, and must •. have reached his 
heart had it not been thus intercepted ; he has, also, a very 
dangerous looking wound on one of his legs ; and it is said 
that his mare staggered under him while he shot Tecumseh 
with no fewer than seven balls in her. The colonel showed 
us three swords : one presented to him by the patriotic 
ladies of Scott County, Kentucky ; another, which had 
belonged to the Duke of Suffolk,' and was presented to the 
colonel by General McCornb, of the United States Army ; 



THE -GOSPEL RESTORED. 313 

and the third, the sword presented to him by Congress as 
a testimony, of that body's respect for his gallant conduct 
at the battle of the Thames. It cost, I believe, twelve 
hundred dollars." 

He visited several other points, making, every- 
where a good impression, and the result was frequent 
visits, in after years, which were attended by the 
conversion of hundreds, and the upbuilding of the 
saints. 

In the year following he began and completed his 
book called "The Gospel Restored," a full, clear, and 
systematic view of the Christian Religion, of which 
it may be safely said, that no book of the present 
century has done more to explode common and 
popular errors, and set forth the teachings of the 
Word of God in their pristine order, simplicity, and 
beauty. The plan of the work is simple, yet com- 
prehensive, being an analysis of sin ; and the gospel 
is presented as the means of recovery of man from 
its power and punishment. He says : " In regard to 
sinners and sin, six things are to be considered : the 
love of it, the practice of it, the state of it, the guilt 
of it, the power of it, and the punishment of it. The 
first three relate to the sinner ; the last three to sin. 
Now, faith, repentance, and baptism, refer to the first 
three — the love, the practice, and the state of sin ; 
while remission, the Holy Spirit, and the resurrection, 
relate to the last three — the guilt, the power, and the 
punishment of sin; in other words, to make us see 
the beauty and perfection of the gospel theory, as 
devised by God : faith is to destroy the love of sin, 
repentance to destroy the practice of it ; baptism, 
the state of it ; remission, the guilt of it ; the Spirit, 
27 



314 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

the power of it ; and the resurrection to destroy the 
punishment of sin ; so that the last enemy, death, 
will be destroyed." 

The effect of this volume may be learned, in a 
measure, from an incident which took place about a 
quarter of a century after. While on a visit to Mis- 
souri, Elder Scott met with the well-known Elder 
M. E. Lard, who threw his arm around him, and, 
with great warmth of feeling, said : " Bro. Scott, you 
are the man who first taught me the gospel." " How 
so ? " was the reply." " It was by your Gospel Re- 
stored," said Lard ; and this was only one instance 
among hundreds ; and it is common yet to hear from 
the pulpit his simple, natural, and Scriptural arrange- 
ment of the gospel plan. 

The visit of Elder Scott to Kentucky, already men- 
tioned, resulted in many others at the earnest solicita- 
tions of brethren there. Each visit seemed to make 
another necessary ; the converts, made on each of 
these visits, were greatly attached to him, who had 
been instrumental in bringing them to Christ ; the 
new congregations established needed his care and 
counsel ; and the result was that most of his time was 
now spent in that State. 

He did not, however, forget his labors and priva- 
tions on the Western Reserve, nor was he forgotten 
there ; frequent and earnest invitations came from 
his former companions in toil ; and the feeling that led 
the Apostle John to say that he had no greater joy 
than to see his children walk in the truth, caused him 
to earnestly desire to see again their faces in the 
flesh. This desire he gratified, and he gives the fol- 
lowing account of his visit : 



VISITS BE Til A XY 3 1 5 

" Having labored for upward of a year among the 
churches of Kentucky, we came, finally, to the conclusion, 
in October last, to visit the brethren of Pittsburg, and the 
churches on the Western Reserve, the region in which the 
original gospel was, in these latter times, first proclaimed 
for salvation. Accordingly, availing ourselves of the 
facilities of a steamer, we set out, in company with 
brethren Pendleton and Campbell, for these parts. We 
had not proceeded many miles up the river, till, with equal 
surprise and pleasure, we discovered we carried aboard, 
together with her daughter, the widow of the late illustri- 
ous patriot, General Alexander Hamilton. She is now in 
her 84th year; had been on a visit to Wisconsin, and was 
returning to tlje city of New York, her usual place of resi- 
dence. She is a daughter of General Schuyler, and is much 
devoted to the memory of her husband, of whom she re- 
cited some anecdotes of intense interest. She also favored 
us with a bosom portrait of the great patriot, and said that 
he both confessed and partook of the Lord's Supper before 
he expired, testifying, in this manner, his belief in the ex- 
ceeding greatness of God's mercy. 

"Bro. Campbell addressed the passengers on the morn- 
ing of Lord's day, on which occasion Mrs. Hamilton and 
others testified their great satisfaction. Our voyage to 
Wheeling and Wellsburg was, I trust, both profitable and 
pleasing. At this latter place I sojourned for a night, un- 
der the roof of Dr. Campbell, a gentleman whose hospi- 
tality must ever be gratifying to the feelings of his guests. 
In the morning we proceeded to Bethany, where I spent 
another night. Hospitality, kindness, courtesy, and re- 
ligion, are staple virtues there, and, during our brief stay, 
we partook of them in no ordinary degree. Next morn- 
ing, returning to Wellsburg, we spent the day and night in 
the family of Dr. Grafton, my son according to the com- 
mon faith, and in the morning, at an early hour, found 
myself once more in a steamer upon the bosom of la belle 



3l6 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

riviere, bound for Pittsburg, where, having next day ar- 
rived, we were most graciously 'received by brother Samuel 
Church, who soon found for Us an easy and agreeable in- 
troduction to the brethren. 

" Touching the Allegheny church there are many things 
to be admired. To each new convert, for example, is pre- 
sented, by an Elder, and accompanied with a solemn ex- 
hortation to read and obey, a Polyglott copy of the Holy 
Scriptures. This is very striking. They also hold love- 
feasts, at which all who attend partake of some slight re- 
freshment, converse freely, pray, and sing praises. This 
enables them to become personally acquainted with each 
other. Their overseer, distinguished for every grace of 
faith and behavior, and as eminent for the munificence of 
his character as for his stainless devotion to God, and to 
the Lord Jesus Christ, his blessed Master, is admirable for 
the great care and solicitude which he manifests for all 
the flock of God. 

" The deacons are also very reputable men, with a busi- 
ness talent, and very improvable withal. The elders and 
they, together, hold what they call a meeting of the pres- 
bytery every Monday evening, when the interests of the 
church are attended to, and the bread and state of the 
poor considered with great care and munificence. The 
overseer teaches the church for an hour on Lord's day 
morning, before the proclamation of the gospel at eleven. 
The brethren speak to each other, and are interrogated by 
the bishop. This is both a profitable and' pleasing exer- 
cise. Besides this class of the whole, Bro. Church assumes 
the arduous but pleasing task of instructing all the chil- 
dren of the congregation. On Monday afternoon, a great 
number of children recite each a chapter. Another class, 
composed of younger sisters, and, I believe, a third, of 
younger men, are all taught by this indefatigable guardian 
of the flock. If the world is to be converted, the saints 
also have to be fed and instructed ', and it is as necessary 



THE ALLEGHENY CHURCH. 3 I 7 

that the first principles and privileges of the gospel be 
announced to the former, as that the commands, worship, 
and discipline, be taught to the latter. It is of great im- 
portance to preserve the equilibrium of good order, and to 
attend to both of these ordinances in a wise ratio. The 
church of Allegheny discreetly attends to both according 
to the means in her power ; therefore, sinners are con- 
verted and saints instructed. The flock is at once fed and 
increased. The church of Allegheny is, upon the whole, 
in circumstances of the greatest comfort, and does, at pres- 
ent, present us with some of the fairest specimens of piety, 
and heavenly and divine character, that we have ever seen, 
or ever expect to see on earth. 

"Eleven were added to the assembly during our visit, 
one of them a relation to Bro. Alexander Campbell, another 
a daughter of Mr. Church, a child of about nine or ten 
years of age. On the day after this latter was baptized, 
taking her father by the hand, and looking up in his face 
in the most innocent manner, with two big tears ready to 
drop from her eyes, she exclaimed! 'Father, I do love 
Jesus Christ — I feel it in my heart.' This offering to the 
goodness of the Lord was wholly voluntary. ' Out of the 
mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise,' 
says the prophet. 

"After tasting of the greatest satisfaction — after the most 
blessed communion with the church, and especially with 
her overseer — after much speaking, with many prayers, and 
joy mingled with tears, and benedictions, and salutations, 
and thanks, and many favors, we were dismissed in peace 
from the hospitable mansion of the overseer of this flock, 
in which we had spent a few weeks ; the joys of which 
seemed to atone for all the sufferings which many years 
labor had made us heir to. Thanks to God our Father, 
and to Jesus Christ our Lord. 

"We now set out for the Western Reserve, to the 
' school of the preachers,' a meeting got up a few years ago 



3 13 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

by some the evangelists for their mutual improvement. 
Next morning, against the dawning of the day, we had 
reached Canfield, and soon after found ourselves under the 
hospitable roof of our faithful and worthy Bro. Mi ram 
Sackett. In the evening we reached Warren, the county 
seat of Trumbull, and the place in which the meeting was 
appointed to be held. The apostle Peter predicts, perhaps, 
of our own times, that scoffers would appear who should 
say, that 'all things continued as they were from the be- 
ginning of the creation.' It is very probable that the 
Divine Spirit had in his eye those infidel philosophers, 
namely, Hume, Gibbon, and Volney, whose favorite doc- 
trine was a boasted 'uniform experience.' But although 
we can not give in to the doctrines of these scoffers, yet we 
must avow that it would have been exceedingly pleasing to 
us, while approaching Warren, could we have known cer- 
tainly that all things continued in this country as we had 
left them eight years ago. Our apprehensions had thrown 
us into a melancholy which had lasted the entire day, and 
we had felt as if the righteous were all dead ; we had 
watered the land with our tears. But our arrival in War- 
ren dispelled our apprehensions by the appearance of 
almost all our former associates. Besides our numerous 
acquaintances, who had their residence in the town, many 
from the surrounding country, and 'even remote regions, 
were present at the meeting; and we had the pleasure of 
seeing nearly all the evangelists of the land, namely, Breth- 
ren Atwater, Clapp, Rudolph, Hayden, Henry, Bosworth, 
Hartsel, Bentley, and many others. But such was the ex- 
citement on all sides, that two days had wholly past before 
I felt myself able to command my feelings. The sight of 
such a vast number of disciples, the chief of whom I had 
introduced into the kingdom of God with my own hands; 
the memory of their original courage and first love; the 
scorn which they endured while yet our views of the gospel 
were novel and misapprehended; their many tears, their 



A DISTINGUISHED CONVERT. 319 

contrition, and our own fears and endurance for their sake; 
the sweet communion which was then enjoyed ; their 
former experience, and their present evident fidelity to 
their profession, the faces of all being perfectly known to 
me, conspired together on the occasion to spur iny feel- 
ings to the utmost, and to fill me with an indescribable 
sentiment of joy and wonder, mingled with a sprinkling of 
sorrow for those whom I perceived to be absent, either by 
death or removal to other countries, or by some other 
cause. 

"The meeting was held from Friday evening till Thurs- 
day evening; and such was the urgency of the case, that 
we could not leave till Monday following. Bro. Bentley, 
alike 'gentle and easy to be entreated,' abode with us, and 
truly we were in heavenly places in Christ. In all, thirteen 
were added to the disciples, and the meeting concluded. 
We again descended to the Ohio River, touched at Wells- 
burg, abode two days at Wheeling, and finding that the 
ice was accumulating in the river, were compelled, in spite 
of our original intentions, to quit those regions where so 
many of our beloved brethren dwell ; and, without seeing 
them, returned to our usual residence, Carthage, where we 
arrived after having been absent just two months." 

In August of the same year, he received a letter 
from the Rev. J. JB. Lucas, President of the Methodist 
Protestant Church, informing him that he fully sym- 
pathized with the views of the " Disciples," and 
wished to change his religious position so that he 
could freely preach what he firmly believed. He had 
for some time refused to baptize infants, as he held it 
to be unscriptural ; and went so far as to refuse to 
administer the ordinance to adults except by immer- 
sion ; and though held in great esteem among his own 
people, on account of his abilities, which were of a high 



320 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

order, and the great success that had attended his 
labors, and enjoying the highest position known in that 
body, he felt that he could labor best with the people 
whose views he had been led to adopt. Elder Scott, 
in reply, informed him that there would be a General 
Meeting at Carthage early in September, and cordially 
invited him to be present. He accepted the invita- 
tion ; was formally received by the brotherhood, and 
preached a number of discourses at Carthage, making 
a deep impression upon the public mind, and persuad- 
ing a number to turn from the error of their ways. 
Several other ministers of that, and other denomina- 
tions, about that time, made a similar change, and 
were gladly welcomed by Scott as fellow-laborers. 

His visit to the Reserve the previous year, so far 
from satisfying the brethren there, only increased 
their desire to have him among them again, and 
earnest and tender epistles urging him to return were 
frequent. One of these, from the beloved Bro. Bent- 
ley, was as follows: 

' ' My Dear Brother Scott : 

"This letter leaves me and my family in usual health, 
for which I can not sufficiently express the gratitude due to 
our adorable heavenly Father. We hope it goes to find 
you and family in the enjoyment of the same blessing. I 
write this letter by request of your numerous friends, who 
are anxious to see you, and who anticipate a gratification 
of their wishes, the Lord willing, on the Friday preceding 
the first Lord's day in November, at one o'clock, P. M. 
We feel as though we could, with propriety, solicit a per- 
sonal interview with Bro. Campbell and yourself. Know- 
ing that your presence and labors will create a desire in 
others to read your works, and in reading, to find assistance 



LETTER FROM ELDER BE NT LEY. 32 1 

how to understand God's method of saving sinners, as re- 
corded in his holy Word. We also feel as though we had 
a special claim upon yourself, as this part of the country 
is the field you first occupied, and where God honored you 
as the restorer of the ancient gospel. You can never for- 
get New Lisbon and Warren, those places where it com- 
menced and whence it sounded out and has spread into 
every quarter of our globe. It is a great consolation to 
me when I reflect that God honored me with being your 
companion in labor at that time ; and to associate me with 
you and the venerable Thomas Campbell, who came to 
your assistance, and who labored so indefatigably for five 
months, and bore with us the contradiction of sinners. I 
shall never forget the battle we fought at Sharon, on the 
Shenango ; nor will you forget the tears which ran down 
the manly cheek of father Campbell, when he beheld the 
distraction of the church of God, and the rejection of the 
lambs of Christ by the Baptists, because they would not 
renounce their respect for us who had been instrumental 
in converting them from sin and sectarianism, to the 
service of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

"Shall it be that, at our November meeting, we shall be 
deprived, in this part of the State, where the gospel was 
restored, of the presence of father Campbell, Alexander, 
Bro. Rains, and yourself? I trust not. Bro. Alexander 
has gone to the South, the Lord will be with him ; father 
Campbell to Kentucky ; Bro. Rains has not .been here for 
many years. Bro. Scott, then, will come, life and health 
permitting. Blessed be God. Now, Bro. Scott, do not 
let ordinary circumstances prevent your coming." 

Such an invitation, penned by such a person, to go 
to a place where hundreds, through his labors, had 
been brought to God through the gospel, aroused all 
the tender and godly anxiety of his heart. He 



322 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

realized that these brethren looked on him much as 
the Galatians did upon Paul, and, that like them, if 
need were, would pluck out their eyes and give them 
to him as proof of their affectionate regard ; and 
though many obstacles were in the way, he set them 
all aside, saying: "I must see them, and they must 
see me ; nothing short of this will please either of the 
parties." He went, and again his visit was a bless- 
ing to them, and a joy to him. This was repeated 
many times, and the only sad thing at all these re- 
unions was the sorrow of parting. 



HJS WEAL OF A PREACLIER. 323 



CHAPTER XXI. 

His ideal of a preacher — Exordiums — Themes for the ministry — Success 
attending his preaching — His labors at threescore. 

EMINENT as Scott was as a preacher, his ideal 
' was far above his own best endeavors. Indeed, 
there were times when he felt himself to be deficient 
in the elements which are necessary to a successful 
oral exhibition of the truth ; for, while others were 
admiring his power in the pulpit, and wishing that a 
portion of that power were their own, he thought so 
highly of what a preacher should be, and so humbly 
of his own efforts, as to write of himself: "I am at 
present in this large city, Cincinnati, and not being 
endowed by nature with those high gifts of reasoning 
and eloquence, which are so necessary to please and 
instruct, I have resolved, by the help of the Lord, to 
avail myself of the advantages afforded by the press 
for advocating and disseminating the principles and 
science of eternal life." 

This view arose, doubtless, from his failure to reach 
his own ideal, and his consequent dissatisfaction with 
many of his public efforts, which he regarded as fail- 
ures, failures too, which could not be retrieved : and 
he therefore thought it best to devote himself more 
to written exhibitions of the views he entertained, as 
these could be pruned and revised, and if they did 
not come up to his severe taste, could be rejected, 
and none but himself be the wiser. 



324 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

Any thing like failures in the pulpit he dreaded ; 
and when under the influence of that feeling would 
open his discourse as follows : " Brethren and fellow- 
citizens : In all cases of public speaking, in the forum, 
at the bar, or in the pulpit, what is attempted should 
be done with power. Weakness is nearly allied to 
failure which admits not of apology, for audiences do 
not assemble to be tortured, wearied, disappointed, but 
instructed, persuaded, delighted. You are present 
this evening to hear of Jesus and the great redemp- 
tion, and I to address you on these solemn and de- 
lightful themes. Tremblingly alive to the responsi- 
bilities of the occasion, I may be pardoned if, in view 
of them, I exclaim with the holy apostle, ' Who is 
sufficient for these things?' David says, 'When I 
called upon thee, thou answeredst me, and strength- 
enedst me with strength in my soul.' If distrust in 
my own powers impels me to place a higher reliance 
on God, my humility shall not hurt me. Pray for me, 
then, dear audience, that he who faints not, neither^is 
weary, may strengthen me with all might by his 
Spirit in the inner man ; that I may, with all saints, 
comprehend the heights and depths, and length and 
breadth, and know the love of Christ that passeth 
knowledge ; that I may be filled with all the fullness 
of God ; that I may open my mouth as I ought ; and 
to him be eternal praises." 

At other times, while earnestly desiring to profit 
his hearers, he would neither conceal from them, nor 
himself, the high standard which they should erect, 
and which he should aim to reach ; making the ordeal 
most difficult by arousing a critical spirit on the part 
of the audience, and yet stimulating his own powers 



EXORDIUMS. 325 

by the magnitude of the work before him, an in- 
stance of which we subjoin : 

"To meet all the conditions of a fortunate address 
is exceedingly difficult. The speaker must think 
correctly and extensively ; he must employ words 
that precisely sift out the sense ; he must reason, for 
a speech without reasoning is like a song without a 
theme ; he must illustrate, and, withal, adorn ; but he 
must not be uncharitable, nor severe, nor sophistical, 
nor profuse, nor gaudy in the use of the graces and 
charms of his rhetoric ; ' for good taste, the maxims 
and usages, the manners and customs of educated 
society forbid it. He must, therefore, steer clear of 
these unsocial annoyances, unless he would incur, 
unnecessarily, public odium, and make himself the 
target of severe, but not unmerited, censure. 

"The theme on which he speaks must be a worthy 
one, deserving the public ear ; and in a mariner most 
worthy too, must he meet it. He must clearly dis- 
criminate between his subject, as the essential, and its 
surroundings, which are incidental ; and fully develop 
and fairly discuss, to the improvement and delight of 
his audience, its. class and characteristics, its parts 
and relations, its uses and abuses. May he, who 
spake as never man spake, anoint at once with his 
grace and power our lips and heart ; and to him shall 
be all the praise of a successful address." 

And yet the natural bent of his genius was in the 
direction of oratory, and in his most impassioned, 
and almost inspired moments, he would reach a 
beauty, dignity, and warmth of expression, which 
never visited him in his cooler efforts in his study 
with the pen. To the humble views, however, which 



326 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

he entertained of himself, we are indebted for some 
most admirable productions, which shall long en- 
dure, distinguished by clear analysis, felicity of ex- 
pression, tenderness of sentiment, and close, vigorous 
thought. 

But, to return. His ideal of a preacher was, one 
who made Christ ever the central thought and in- 
spiration of his discourse ; one who dealt not so much 
with the doctrines of Christ as with Christ himself; 
one whose chief business was to point sinners to the 
Lamb of God, And yet it is doubtful, whether any 
uninspired man ever came nearer this model than he 
himself unconsciously did. Christ, his nature, offices, 
and work, were his. chiefs — his almost constant 
themes — the alpha and omega, the all in all. 

He was as far removed as possible from what we 
understand by a sensational preacher ; his great re- 
liance was upon the gospel as -the power of God unto 
the salvation of ever one that believed it ; and to get 
that gospel clearly before the minds of his hearers, 
and Christ the great theme of that gospel, as the 
one altogether lovely, into their hearts, was the end 
and aim of every discourse. He had studied the 
holy Scriptures until he had made even their very 
language his own ; the teachings of the Savior he 
regarded as the good seed of the kingdom, and he 
sought to sow that in every heart. When he rose 
before an audience it was to deliver the message 
which Christ had given in charge to his apostles ; and 
he was careful to note how they had discharged their 
mission, and aimed to imitate them. Of no preacher, 
of modern times, could it be said with greater truth, 
" he preached Christ unto them." He, always, first 



WHAT IT IS TO FT EACH CHRIST. 2> 2 7 

appealed to the judgment, and when he thought 
enough had been said to produce conviction, he used, 
with great power, the motives of the gospel to in- 
duce to action ; the promises, to allure ; the threaten- 
ings, to alarm ; and, with a pathos rising from a 
realizing sense of the danger of his hearers, he would, 
often with tears, beseech them to accept the offered 
grace. 

But the criticism on preachers, and preaching, and 
the plan suggested in the following extract, from his 
pen, will give his views, as to what he conceived to 
be the work of a preacher,, better than any words 
of ours : 

" We have recently listened with great interest and 
earnestness to certain distinguished advocates of the gospel, 
both in our own ranks and the ranks of other professors, 
and have been equally grieved and amazed at the exceed- 
ingly indirect manner in which Christ is preached. 

"How is it that so many are blind to the greatest truths 
in our religion — that Messiah is God's Son? How is it 
that Mount Calvary, and the death-scene there, are so fre- 
quently evaded ? Where is the preacher who can manage 
with effect either of these themes — the greatest in the 
book ? Many, we doubt not, imagine that if they have but 
reaped what others had sown, if they have biU baptized 
those in whose minds others had wrought both conviction 
and conversion, they have preached Christ and done won- 
ders. But this is a grand mistake. Preaching Christ is 
not the fugitive and ill-defined thing which their protean 
discourses would indicate. The statistics of his nature and 
offices, who he is and what he does, his death and his di- 
vinity, his resurrection, ascension, glorification, mediation, 
second coming, etc., do manifestly and strictly enter into 
the preaching of Christ. It would be grateful to our feel- 



328 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

ings, and refreshing to our conviction, if we could, truth- 
fully, say of any preacher even this much — he can pi each 
' Christ,' if he can not preach 'him crucified.' Or ' he can 
preach a risen Redeemer, if not a crucified Savior.' But 
it is not often we are warranted in saying even this much 
of the speakers of the day. Our convictions on the point 
are that Christ should be preached in such a manner as to 
force the convert to feel that in obeying the gospel he has 
come under the eye of an all-seeing bishop of souls — an 
omnipresent Master — an omnipresent authority — clothed 
nevertheless with salvation and mercy. We said, twenty 
years ago, and wrote it too, that there was in the Scrip- 
tures a plan of preaching Christ followed by God, by the 
Son of God, and by the Spirit of God, by the holy Evan- 
gelists, and by the holy apostles and prophets. Time, age, 
and experience have only deepened our convictions of 
this truth. But we said also that that plan was disregarded 
to a marvelous extent by the Christian ministry. Experi- 
ence has rivetted our convictions of this also. But to 
bring my meaning within the range of the reader's appre- 
hension, we go to a protracted meeting. It is got up for 
converting purposes; and it is continued two, three, or four 
weeks. Well, what is the theme ? Every thing but Christ. 
The preaching is, perhaps, a chapter of accidents — a game 
at wedges, the last is the largest, dropping out all the 
rest — an endless chain of truisms, and, it may be, scrip- 
turisms, but not Christ. The Scriptures condemn this 
plan. Such a scheme of converting and preaching has 
no warrant from the Word of God. We listened, a few 

days since, to the Rev. Mr. R 's last effort, his 

expiring effort, at a fruitless meeting held in the city of 
Lexington for converting the citizens. It was a composi- 
tion, distinguished for grace and literary finish, on the art 
of raising money ! Again, we listened to the speeches of 
another man at a similar 'meeting in a different town, and 
what were they ? Fire and brimstone — a brow-beating of 



CHRIST AND HIM ONL Y. 2> 2 9 

the audience, utterly unalleviated by the introduction of 
any part of the structure of the gospel. The quid est was 
totally discarded, the quid oportet was all in all ; but Christ 
was nothing — absolutely neglected. Again, we recently 
gave a hearing to a third orator on divine matters famous 
among the Baptists. His theme was the 'soul,' and, as a 
speech, it wanted neither unity, variety, progression of 
thought, passion, strength, or splendor — but was passable 
for all these ; but then it was only one of twenty isolated 
speeches, not more than one of which had for its caption 
1 Christ Jesus.' Now, what we would like to see is this — 
that a preacher would take 'Christ' as the heading to a 
series of discourses, and on every one of them preach him, 
and him only. Say he would preach his grand nature — his 
divinity, thus : 

" i. As the 'open secret,' or great mystery of the 
gospel. 

" 2. As an oracle of Jewish prophecy. 

"3. As a fact developed in history. 

"4. A truth revealed by the Father to the Jews. 

"5. The only thing revealed by him in our religion. 

" 6. The truth for which Christ died. 

"7. The truth for which he died on oath. 

"8. As the subject of the Evangelical testimony. 

"9. The creed of the primitive converts. 

"10. The grand confession in Christianity. 

"11. As confessed by the appstles. 

"12. As confessed by Christ. 

"13. As confessed by God the Father. 

"14. As the truth commanded to be preached to all 
nations. 

"15. As the basis of the church. 

" 16. As the truth proved in our religion. 

" 17. As the greatest truth in our religion. 

"18. As the greatest miracle. 

"19. The truth re-announced on Mount Tabor as the 
28 



S3° LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

basis of the future or glorious kingdom of Christ. See 
Matt., 17th chapter. 

" 20. The only truth broad and deep enough to sustain, 
in all her weight and extent, the church. 

" 21. His nature as greater than his work, or what he 
is greater than what he does. His divinity as it excels 
his death and all other things in the gospel. 

"22. The truth on which the Jews were fatally wrong. 

" 23. The truth on which the Jewish vessel of State 
struck, and broke, and went down, on the great ocean of 
political existence. 

" 24. As the truth over which they stumble to this day; 
for they can not, even now, believe the Messiah to be di- 
vine. They still think him but David's son. 

" Here, then, are the themes for a protracted meeting. 
Here is a good week's work in preaching. This is the true 
material. Who can handle these? Who does handle 
these ? Yet to do this is, strictly speaking, to preach Christ. 
He is the theme of all these themes. When a man has ex- 
hausted the themes which respect Christ personally, it 
would then become him to introduce those that relate to 
Christ officially, and to speak of him as the Son of God 
with authority, with salvation, justification, reconciliation. 
But one thing at a time, Christ first, and Christ in au- 
thority afterward." 

He was accustomed to go to Christ rather than to 
the apostles — to draw from the Evangelists rather 
than the Epistles. He was, emphatically, a gospel 
preacher, one who entertained a very special regard 
for the writings of the Evangelists. He says of them : 
" These form the ground-work of our faith in Chris- 
tianity ; they contain the immediate evidence of its 
divine origin ; they are the pillars and the gate-way 
of the holy temple ; the bulwarks of the new insti- 



PULPIT THEMES. 33 I 

tution, and citadel of the Christian religion, which have 
withstood the shock of the heaviest ordnance and ar- 
tillery from the heaviest batteries of all our enemies 
since the age began. Our children should be made to 
suck them in with their mother's milk, and our Evan- 
gelists repeat them with alphabetical correctness and 
facility. Most worthy are they to be studied and un- 
derstood, and I am not ashamed to confess for them 
my special regard. I am not ashamed to acknowledge 
that twice a week for twenty-two months at a stretch 
have I discoursed on the Evangelist Matthew, alone. 
It is by these divine narratives the Christian religion 
is to spread, because by them, alone, the world can 
be assured that Jesus is the Christ ; it is in them the 
proclaimer must search for the themes which win the 
souls of men ; there it is the Lord is exhibited in 
proper form. His birth, his public ministry, his en- 
trance upon, the same at Jordan, his miracles, his 
doctrine, his defense of himself as the Messiah of 
God, his temptations, moral virtues, prodigious and 
incomprehensible wisdom, his divine nature, his trial, 
condemnation, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, 
and glorification are all there ; but, indeed, the en- 
lightened Evangelist will perceive that every page, 
every miracle, every thing in these glorious oracles 
open, to the proclaimer of the gospel, an infinitely 
various and brilliant field for the instruction of the 
world. If any man would work faith in his audience, 
let him give his days and nights, and weeks and 
years, to the study of the Evangelists." 

That his theory with regard to the true method 
of preaching was correct, was frequently and fully 
demonstrated by the numerous conversions by which 



332 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

his labors were attended. For a period of over 
thirty years, few men had greater success as an Evan- 
gelist than he ; as many as one hundred converts 
within a month was not unusual, and, on some occa- 
sions, nearly that number in a few days ; and he often 
baptized the converts with his own hands. But his 
success and method of preaching may best be learned 
from a few instances. He writes : 

In company with our worthy brother, L. H. Jameson, 
we visited Highland County, Ohio, and labored at two or 
three points there during two weeks and a day. Seventy- 
seven persons in that period were added to the assemblies 
of Christ, and many hundreds of people heard the word 
of the Lord. The season reminded us of the happy, but 
affecting period of 1827, when we stood alone in our pres- 
ent views of the gospel and announced repentance and re- 
mission to the astonished and un reformed multitudes who 
attended, no man taking our part ; but, like our betters, 
whom, we followed, the apostles, were made a spectacle to 
angels and men. 

"If there be any propriety in our mode of developing 
the gospel, we would wish to inform the Evangelists some- 
what of it, that as we have ever been fortunate in the an- 
nunciation of the great salvation on this plan, they also 
may at least have it in their power to follow the same 
path. 

"i.-We sculptured out and made stand forth in the 
boldest possible relief from all other oracles of God, his 
last, his greatest, and his best revelation, namely : 

" 'Behold, my Son, the Beloved in whom I delight.' 

"It was not to prove the truth of this, but to show 
that the great oracle is fundamental, and the thing to be 
believed and confessed, in order to the obedience of the 
gospel that we spake. It is said of Paul that it was his 



ADVICE TO PREACHERS. 333 

manner in preaching the gospel to reason, and allege, and 
prove from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ, the 
Son of God. See Acts, 17th chapter. 

"2. The next topic was the authority on which this 
proposition is offered to us for belief, viz. : that of God 
the Father. 

" This is a grand and delightful theme, and should be de- 
veloped with care by all Evangelists. On the above topics 
every preacher of the gospel should model a discourse and 
continue to speak of the fundamental proposition and the 
authority on which it is offered to mankind, until he per- 
fectly understands them. I am not ashamed to confess 
that it has cost me ten years labor to bring into order the 
thoughts which-! have learned from the Scriptures on the 
first principles of the gospel of Christ; and I am perfectly 
willing to spend ten years more in order to increase my 
knowledge and improve the discourses which I deliver on 
these principles. 

"3. We next showed what Christ meant by building his 
church on this proposition. 

"4. The nature of the Kingdom of God, and the honor 
of holding the keys of that Kingdom, and of opening it, 
as given to the Apostle Peter, was then carefully ex- 
plained. 

"5. Then the principles and privileges of Faith, Re- 
pentance, Baptism, Remission of Sins, the Holy Spirit, 
and the Resurrection, were arranged, defined, and dis- 
cussed, and the whole gospel, in its facts, and principles, 
and its blessings, shown to be adapted at once to the wants 
and powers of man. 

"Young Evangelists, let your fellow-laborer prevail with 
you to give your days and nights to these fundamental 
themes, and never leave them till you have completed a 
discourse or two on each of them. And let them be de- 
livered in love and with fervent zeal." 



334 LIFE OF EIDER WAITER SCOTT. 

Another meeting in Kentucky is thus noticed: 
"We mention this success only because it occurred 
in connection with the preaching of ' the appearance 
and kingdom ' of our Lord Jesus Christ to his peo- 
ple. We lately labored seventeen days and nights in 
succession at Minerva, Mason County, Kentucky. 
A series of lectures on the second advent took a 
very sensible effect on the disciples, and seemed to 
have no small influence even upon the world ; for 
when we changed our theme and substituted the 
cross for the crown — the things of faith for those of 
hope, fifty persons, first and last, believed and were 
immersed." 

He returned in a short time to the same field, and 
the joint labors of himself and others were crowned 
with great success — fifty more persons being gathered 
into the fold. Several years after, he writes from 
Versailles, Woodford County, Kentucky : 

" I am just now in Versailles. The excitement is very 
great. After filling an appointment at Dover, and another 
at Beasley's Creek, where I had a very great audience, and 
where the church embraces many well-tutored saints, and 
has an eldership of great value in Christ Jesus, I proceeded 
to Paris, toward Lexington ; but hearing, at the former place, 
that a meeting was in progress at Union, I turned aside 
and spent the night under the hospitable roof of the be- 
loved in Christ, Elder J. Gano. Next morning this ex- 
cellent brother, with his lady, the meekest of women, 
were to go to Georgetown, so that I had the pleasure of 
journeying thither in their company. A protracted meet- 
ing had just closed at Georgetown, but on my arrival it 
was re-opened, and Bro. James Challen, greatly beloved 
in the Lord, coming on at this opportune moment, nine- 
teen accessions were made to the church there. Blessed 



THOMAS MARSHALL. . 335 

be God.. I visited Midway with the hope of spending the 
Lord's day in sweet enjoyment there, in company with 
Doctor Pinkerton, the zealous in the Lord, and the church 
of God in that place; but the rain was so great. and con- 
tinuous that the brethren could not even assemble. I re- 
turned to Lexington, and afterward addressed the breth- 
ren in that city. 

" I also filled an appointment at Union, where our peo- 
ple and the Baptists have worked with such dilligence as 
to leave Evangelists almost nothing to do. This church 
embodies many of the excellent of the earth. Her sons 
are great and excellent spirits, renowned for purity and 
generosity. Midway and New Union are very famous for 
doing good. 

"A meeting was in progress at Versailles. The breth- 
ren were pleased to invite me to aid. I was forced to 
meet their wishes. The excitement is very great. I have 
preached and spoken three times a day for one week. 
And, thanks to our God in Christ Jesus, thirty have 
already made the good confession. Men are coming in 
from the distance of seven miles to meeting, even by 
night. Old impenitent sinners, who have not been seen 
at meeting for seven years before, have found their way 
into the assembly, and several, notorious for their evil 
doings, have been reclaimed. Even the eloquent orator, 
Thomas Marshall, has felt the excitement, and found out 
the power of the Lord. He was present last evening, 
and lent his devout attention to my discourse. He even 
came up from the remotest corner of the house, where he 
had ensconced himself during the preachment, and stood 
boldly by the side of the pulpit. He even asked to have 
the humble speaker pointed out to him, and, as the ex- 
hortation proceeded, advanced into the very front ranks 
of the lookers-on. O that the truth — the love of God to 
man — the blood of the cross may have touched his 
heart — his eloquent, but misguided heart. If he forget 



336 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

what he heard, he is less than a true-hearted man ; but 
he has expressed this morning, I have been told, his ad- 
miration of the last night's development." 

But a short time before this, nineteen were added 
at Georgetown, and, soon after the meeting- at Ver- 
sailles, between thirty and forty at Grassy Springs. 
At this period, 1847, it was not unusual for him to 
preach twice and even three times per day for weeks 
in succession. Within two years of the close of his 
life, when over sixty years of age, he wrote: "I 
have just returned from a galloping excursion into 
Garrard County ; twenty accessions were made to 
the good cause, and I have immediately to return 
thither." Two weeks after this he writes: "God, 
the living God, is not an idol of gold, or silver, 
or brass, or wood, or stone, but the true God, and 
our everlasting King. My life has been, and by his 
help, shall be, devoted to the glory of his name. A 
few days ago, by stage and railroad, I traveled seventy 
miles, and ate no meat from two o'clock in the morn- 
ing till five in the evening, and after supper had to 
address an audience waiting for me. Twelve persons 
have already presented themselves to the Lord. I 
am, thank the Lord Jesus Christ, now recovered from 
fatigue, and more animated in the preaching of the 
Word, than at any former period of my life. I know 
that the weakness, incident to age must overtake me, 
if I live, but as yet I am as strong in every respect 
as I ever was." The above, which might be indefin- 
itely extended, may serve to indicate the extent and 
success of his labors, as well the chief themes of his 
public addresses ; but his style and manner as a 
preacher have not yet been told. As far as this may 



COMPARED WITH CAMPBELL. 337 

be done at all, it can, perhaps, best be done by a 
comparison with his great and gifted fellow-laborer, 
Alexander Campbell, to which end we devote the suc- 
ceeding chapter. 



29 



138 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Scott and Campbell compared as preachers — Dr. Humphrey's estimate 
of Campbell — Scott's description of the second coming of Christ — 
Of the transfiguration — Sermon at Georgetown, Kentucky. 

THE names of Alexander Campbell and Walter 
Scott will ever be linked together, as workers, 
true and earnest, in the same noble cause ; and one 
will as readily suggest the other, as the name of 
Luther calls up that of Melancthon, or Wesley's that 
of Whitefield. In no sense were they rivals, any more 
than Moses and Aaron, or Paul or Silas ; but like 
them, with different gifts, devoting their fives to the 
accomplishment of the same glorious end. Camp- 
bell was always great and self-possessed ; Scott sub- 
ject to great depression, and, consequently, unequal 
in his public efforts ; but at times he knew a rapture, 
which seemed almost inspiration, to which the former 
was a stranger. Campbell never fell below the ex- 
pectation of his hearers, Scott frequently did ; but 
there were times when he rose to a height of elo- 
quence which the former never equaled. If Camp- 
bell at times reminded his hearers of Paul on Mars 
Hill, commanding the attention of the assembled 
wisdom of Athens ; Scott, in his happiest moments, 
seemed more like Peter on the memorable Pentecost, 
with the cloven tongue of flame on his head, and the 
inspiration of the Spirit of Truth in his heart, while 
from heart-pierced sinners on every side rose the 



COMPARED WITH CAMPBELL. 339 

agonizing cry, "Men and brethren, what shall 
we do ? " 

Few men have convinced more skeptics of the 
folly of unbelief, than Alexander Campbell. Multi- 
tudes of men, confused by the discords and distrac- 
tions of religious parties, have learned from his teach- 
ing that there is a more excellent way than that taught 
by the mere sect or party, and, being satisfied that 
he taught the way of God in truth, have walked in 
it ; and yet, though he thus won many to Christ, 
some of whom have, in turn, been the happy instru- 
ments of bringing hundreds and thousands to the 
Savior, he never moved the hearts of the masses in 
his public addresses, as did Walter Scott. I have 
heard them both, frequently, before ordinary congre- 
gations, and assemblies of from three to ten thousand. 
I never listened to any man who could hold the atten- 
tion of an audience longer and better than Alexander 
Campbell, and send away his hearers so delighted 
and instructed. Walter Scott, on ordinary, and even 
on great occasions, would often fail to fix the atten- 
tion of his hearers ; of this he was painfully con- 
scious, and would express it by saying the smile of the 
Lord was not on him ; but when he enjoyed that smile 
he seemed almost inspired, and his audience wholly 
entranced. Oh! how lovely he could make Christ 
appear ; how dark and cruel man's ingratitude ! Oh ! 
how he could paint the vileness of sin, and the in- 
finite compassion of him who died for our sins ! 
How he could portray the woe of the lost, and the 
bliss of the saved ; of heaven the glory and of hell 
the gloom ; and with what earnest and affectionate 



340 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



9 



tenderness he would entreat and beseech lost sinners 
to be reconciled to God. 

Campbell addressed himself mainly to the under- 
standing of his hearers, and was, confessedly, one of 
the ablest controversialists of his day ; Scott did not 
forget that the mind must be enlightened, and the 
judgment convinced, and few men were clearer or 
more convincing in their exhibitions of truth ; but 
when that was accomplished he drove right at the 
heart. 

Lest any one should think that I am writing in 
the spirit of a partisan, and using colors too warm 
and bright, I will introduce the testimony of one 
well qualified to judge with regard to Alexander 
Campbell as a preacher, and one, too, to whom even 
the suspicion of partiality does not attach. It is the 
testimony of the Rev. Heman Humphrey, D. D., 
once President of Amherst College, a learned and 
eloquent Presbyterian minister, who heard Mr. 
Campbell, not in his prime, but when some sixty- 
five winters had frosted his hair, and, in some de- 
gree, chilled the ardor by which he was in earlier 
life distinguished. His account strikingly corrobo- 
rates what I have written, and gives the reader a 
good idea of the personal appearance and manner 
of the speaker. It is as follows : 

"At length Dr. Campbell made his way up 
through the crowd, and took his seat in the pulpit. 
He is somewhat above the middle stature, with 
broad shoulders, a little stooping, and, though stoutly 
built," rather spare and pale. He has a high, intel- 
lectual forehead, a keen, dark eye, v somewhat shaded, 
and a well-covered head of gray hair, fast changing 



DESCRIPTION OF CAMPBELL. 34 I 

into the full bloom of the almond tree. I think he 
must be rather over than under sixty-five years of 
age. He looks like a hard-working man, as he has 
been from his youth up. Very few could have en- 
dured so much mental and physical labor as has 
raised him to the commanding position which he oc- 
cupies, and so long sustained him in it. His voice 
is not strong, evidently owing, in part at least, to the 
indifferent state of his health, but it is clear and 
finely modulated. His enunciation is distinct, and, 
as he uses no notes, his language is remarkably pure 
and select. In his delivery, he has not much action, 
and but little of that fervid outpouring which char- 
acterizes western and southern eloquence. There is 
nothing vociferous and impassioned in his manner. I 
think he is the most perfectly self-possessed, the most 
perfectly at ease in the pulpit, of any preacher I ever 
listened to, except, perhaps, the celebrated Dr. John 
Mason, of New York. No gentleman could be more 
free and unembarrassed in his own parlor. At the 
same time, there was not the least apparent want of 
deference for his audience. 

"In laying out his work, his statements are simple, 
clear, and concise ; his topics are well and logically 
arranged, his reasoning calm and deliberate, but full 
of assurance. His appeals are not very earnest, nor 
indicative of deep feeling ; but, nevertheless, winning 
and impressive in a high degree. There were many 
fine, and some truly eloquent passages in the two dis- 
courses which I heard, but they seemed to cost him 
no effort, and to betray no consciousness on his part 
that they were fine. In listening to him you feel 
that you are in the presence of a great man. He 



34 2 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

speaks like a ' master of assemblies,' who has entire 
confidence in the mastery of his subject and his 
powers, and who expects to carry conviction to the 
minds of his hearers without any of those adventi- 
tious aids on which ordinary men find it necessary to 
rely. On both evenings, when I heard him, he held 
the great congregation, for an hour and a half, in that 
profound stillness which shows that his listeners are 
not aware of the lapse of time. 

"Dr. Campbell's first discourse was an exceedingly 
interesting eulogy, if I may so call it, upon the Bible, 
glancing rapidly at some of the internal proofs of its 
divine origin, dwelling, as much as his time would 
allow, upon its wonderful history, biography, and 
prophecies, and, following the sacred stream down 
through the several dispensations, or, as he expressed 
it, through 'the star-light and moon-light ages of the 
patriarchs, and of the Jewish commonwealth,' till the 
glorious Sun of Righteousness rose upon the world, 
and introduced the Christian era. 

"The text on the following evening was, 'Great is 
the mystery of Godliness,' etc. It was an able and 
orthodox discourse throughout. He dwelt chiefly 
upon the two clauses of the text, 'justified in the 
Spirit, received up into glory;' and I can not, in- 
justice, refrain from acknowledging, that I never re- 
member to have listened to, or to have read a more 
thrilling outburst of sacred eloquence, than when he 
came to the scene of the coronation of Christ, and 
quoted that sublime passage from the 24th Psalm, 
beginning, ' Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye 
lifted up, ye everlasting doors, that the King of Glory 
may come in;' when he represented all the angels, 



SCOTT'S APPEARANCE. 343 

principalities, and powers of heaven, as coming to- 
gether, to assist, as it were, in placing the crown 
upon the Redeemer's head." 

I know of no description of Walter Scott, of which 
I can avail myself, but, as I have not gone beyond 
Dr. Humphrey in my estimate of Mr. Campbell as a 
public speaker, that fact, I trust, will give assurance 
to the reader that I will endeavor to deal as faithfully 
with regard to his fellow-laborer. Indeed, the dan- 
ger in the case of Scott is, that a faint and imperfect 
picture will be given ; for to go beyond the reality 
when he was in one of his happiest moods is scarcely 
possible. 

He was about middle height, quite erect, well 
formed, easy and graceful in all his movements ; his 
hair black and glossy, even to advanced age ; he had 
piercing black eyes, which seemed at one time to 
burn, at another, to melt ; his face was a remarkable 
one, the saddest, or gladdest, as melancholy or joy pre- 
vailed ; his voice was one of the richest I ever heard, 
suited to the expression of every emotion of the soul — 
and when his subject took full possession of him 
he was an orator. I have heard Bascom, and Stock- 
ton, and many other gifted ministers, but none to 
compare with him ; he stands alone. 

Once, on what might be termed an ordinary occa- 
sion, when there was no special interest, or expecta- 
tion, he began to describe the gathering of the 
saints to their final glorious home ; he was for a 
time sweet and tender, but all at once his form 
dilated, and his face glowed as if he had caught 
a glimpse of the King himself, coming in the clouds 
of heaven. I shall never forget his attitude, as, 



344 LIFE OF EIDER WAITER SCOTT. 

with face upturned, and hand outstretched, he stood 
describing the scene he really seemed to behold. I 
have often wondered since, how any speaker could 
even venture on such an attitude as he assumed, 
and wondered that even he could maintain it so 
long — but the end was not yet ; he cried out : " It 
reminds me of a scene in the mountains of my 
native north;" and then dashed off into a life-like 
description of the gathering of the clans in the 
Highlands of Scotland at the call of some renowned 
and beloved chief. On a mountain summit stood 
the chieftain, and as the wild notes of the, bugle- 
horn, re-echoed from rock and ravine, and spread 
over the valley, the whole plain below was, in a mo- 
ment, filled with his devoted followers, who, wrapped 
in their plaids, had been concealed in the blooming 
heather; every eye in that host was turned to the 
chief whose summons they had heard, and whose form 
stood out clearly defined on the mountain top, and 
upward to him in a living stream they went ; he 
shouted a welcome as they came, and back from 
the thronging host came an answering shout, for 
they were not only his soldiers but his kinsmen ; and 
when they reached the place where their leader 
stood they were happy and invincible. 

This was the figure used to illustrate the glad 
awakening of those who long had slept in the dust, 
and their rising to meet the Lord in the air. No 
description can do justice to his manner, or repro- 
duce the scene which he described, but he made 
his hearers see it ; for my own part, I distinctly 
heard the notes of that wild music, and clearly and 



THE TRANSFIGURATION. 345 

distinctly saw the tartans stream as up the warriors 
pressed to meet their beloved chief. 

The next discourse that I shall notice was under 
far different circumstances. The audience, in the 
instance just given, was composed of some two or 
three hundred persons, and the scene he described, 
which made such an impression upon me, was, 
doubtless, one that flashed upon his mind at the 
moment. But now he had before him as many 
thousands as he had hundreds in the former in- 
stance. The vast assembly met in a beautiful grove. 
Many of them had known the speaker for a score 
of years, and not a few of them had been brought 
into the fold of Christ under his ministry ; others 
had come from a great distance, attracted by the 
fame of the preacher, and, I doubt not, that he had 
made careful preparation to meet the expectation 
of the thousands who thronged to hear. 

His theme was the Transfiguration of Christ, 
which he described with such marvelous power, 
that his audience seemed to be witnesses of the 
wonderful scene which transpired upon the holy 
mount. He set forth the meeting of the Savior, 
Moses, and Elijah, as a glimpse vouchsafed to mor- 
tals of the heavenly state, or a living tableau of 
translated, resurrected, and transformed humanity, 
'of which classes, translated Elijah, the resurrected 
Moses, and the transfigured Lord, were the re- 
spective types ; and to this task he brought a power 
of description so new, forcible, and impressive, that 
many, while they listened with wonder, mingled 
with awe, felt like Peter, who, in the presence of 
the magnificent display, which the preacher made 



346 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

to seem a reality, exclaimed, " Master, it is good 
for us to be here ; Let us make three tabernacles, 
one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias," 
and numbers, I doubt not, felt themselves that day 
nearer heaven than ever they had been before. For 
an hour that grove seemed holy ground, solemn 
and joyful as the summit of Tabor, for there, with 
the wondering, glad disciples, we seemed to stand, 
and, like them, to see and hear the glorious im- 
mortals ; we saw the Man of Sorrows with face 
brighter than Moses, when he descended from Sinai ; 
we saw him lay away his seamless coat and put on 
garments of light and beauty, more glorious far 
than the robes of Aaron when he stood before the 
mercy-seat, while the pearly cloud overshadowed 
all, and from its snowy depths came the words of 
Jehovah, as he presented to the faith of the apos- 
tles and the world the glorified One in the im- 
pressive words, "This is my beloved Son, hear ye 
him." 

The reader will observe that I make no attempt 
to reproduce the sermon, that is impossible ; but, 
to show the impression that it made on my own 
mind and that of others. It is not many sermons 
that people will remember for twenty years or more, 
but this was one of the few of which the impres- 
sion is never effaced. No man there could remem-* 
ber the glowing words used to paint the glorious 
scene, but many, I know, will never forget the 
glowing picture while life and memory endure. 

The last discourse that I shall notice, was de- 
livered during the State meeting, held at George- 
town, Kentucky, in 1846. Quite a number of able 



SERMON AT GEOR GE TO WN. 2>A7 

preachers were present, among them, President 
Shannon, L. L. Pinkerton, R. C. Ricketts, R. H. 
Forrester, R. C. Rice, and the Kendricks. Most 
of these had preached during the meeting, and, 
near its close, it was announced that Walter Scott 
would preach on Sunday night. 

The audience was large and intelligent, composed 
of persons from all the principal towns of the Blue 
Grass region. Lexington, Frankfort, Richmond, 
Paris, Harrodsburg, Shelbyville, and others, were 
represented. It was my lot to accompany the 
preacher into the pulpit, which gave me an op- 
portunity of observing the effect of the sermon 
on the listening throng. His theme was the 
Golden Oracle, as he termed it, as set forth ir* the 
declaration of Simon Peter — Thou art the Christ, 
the Son of the living God. His exordium was 
solemn, impressive, grand ; his language reminding 
me of the finest passages of Milton, and almost 
with his first sentence I saw that he had estab- 
lished a warm sympathy between himself and his 
hearers. Pie spoke of the nature of Christ, as gold 
mingled with clay — the fine gold of divinity, with 
the clay of humanity ; and then from the Old and 
New Testament gathered all the glorious names 
which prophets and apostles applied to the Son of 
God — names # of power, excellency, and glory, and 
showed how they set forth the nature of him around 
whom they clustered, who, not only wore, but was 
worthy of them all. 

All felt that he was giving expression to their 
own highest conceptions of the Savior which they 
had never been able to embody in words, and so 



34 8 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

fixed and intense became the attention, that the 
entire audience would unconsciously sway to and 
fro, as waves at the will of the wind, with every 
gesture of the speaker ; if he cast his eyes upward, 
his hearers seemed gazing up into heaven ; now a 
glad smile would light up every face, and anon 
every eye would be dim with tears ; and, at the 
close of some marvel of description, a deep mur- 
mur or sigh might be heard, as though all had 
held their breath under the spell of his eloquence. 

The interest was sustained throughout, and seme 
of the passages were the finest I ever heard from 
the lips of man. In one portion of his discourse he 
spoke of Christ as the Prophet, Priest, and King. 
He sought the Prophet among all those who had 
delivered the messages of God to men ; but found 
him not at Sinai, nor at Carmel, where God owned 
Elijah by fire; nor among the long line of those who 
wept over Israel's sorrows and captivity, like Jeremiah ; 
or who, like Isaiah, heralded the dawning of a brighter 
day ; but bowing in agony in the Gethsemane, the great 
Prophet he sought was found. He bade kings and 
conquerors, in pomp and majesty, march by — we 
saw Nimrod, and Nebuchadnezzar, and David, and 
Solomon in all his glory ; Cyrus, and Alexander, 
and the great Julius, swelled the procession; but 
the king he sought was found in Pilate's Judgment 
Hall, a soldier's purple cloak, thrown over him in 
mockery, for a regal robe ; his scepter, a reed ; for 
a diadem, a crown of cruel thorns ; for subjects, 
rude soldiers with knees bent in scorn, and crying, 
in derision, Hail, King of the Jews. 

Next, a procession of priests passed by — Abel, 



A GRAND DISCOURSE.. 349 

who reared his altar not far from the gates of Eden ; 
Melchisedec, wearing crown and mitre ; Aaron, .in 
priestly robes, bearing the names of the chosen 
tribes on the breastplate near his heart, with all who 
had ministered to God in Tabernacle or Temple, 
who had offered sacrifice at the altar, or sprinkled 
the blood of atonement on the mercy-seat — but the 
Priest he sought, he found on Calvary, offering him- 
self up to God on a bloody cross, at once, both 
priest and victim, praying for those who nailed him 
there, and from whose bleeding heart the viler 
soldier soon plucked his vile spear away. But he 
left us not weeping, at least not in sorrow, for he 
showed us the risen, glorified One, at the right 
hand of the Majesty on high, where he ever liveth 
to make intercession for us. 

I have never heard a discourse that, in my hum- 
ble judgment, could compare to that to which I 
have referred, and certainly none that made so deep 
an impression, and which, after the lapse of so many 
years, I can so vividly recall. Perhaps a reason is 
needed for giving more space in this brief sketch to 
Scott, than to Campbell ; if so, I only need to say 
that the finest efforts of the latter are preserved on 
the living page in his addresses, lectures, and de- 
bates, while those of the former were not, and could 
not be thus preserved ; they owed much to the in- 
spiration of the moment, to the looks and tones by 
which they were accompanied, and all that remains 
of them are impressions left on the memory of his 
hearers as they were on mine, and I am fully con- 
scious that I have succeeded in giving but a faint 
idea of his wonderful power as a preacher. 



350 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

On one occasion, while Campbell was addressing 
one of the most intelligent audiences ever assem- 
bled in Kentucky, quite a number of highly gifted 
and educated men rose unconsciously to their feet 
and leaned forward toward the speaker, as if fear- 
ing to lose a single word that fell from his lips ; 
and what makes the case more remarkable is, that 
many of them were public advocates of the views 
he was assailing, as being, in his judgment, con- 
trary to the Word of God ; yet such was the force, 
clearness, and eloquence, that he brought to the 
task, that even those who differed from him could 
not but pay the high tribute which we have men- 
tioned to his admirable powers of close thought, of 
lofty and brilliant expression. 

Scott's power, however, was over the hearts of 
men, and of the masses ; his dark eyes seemed to 
penetrate the secrets of the soul, and his voice was 
soothing or terrible as he gave utterance to the 
promises or threatenings of the Word of God. 
Multitudes were awakened under his preaching to 
the peril of their souls, and pointed successfully to 
the Lamb of God, and, on some occasions, bitter 
enemies, and violent persecutors were changed, 
almost as suddenly as Saul of Tarsus, and became 
not only faithful Christians, but firm and life-long 
friends of the preacher whom they once had threat- 
ened and reviled. 

Campbell's greatness and strength may, in a great 
measure, be realized by a careful study of his writ- 
ings ; but the noblest efforts of his worthy fellow- 
laborer, as far as the expression is concerned, per- 
ished, almost at their birth, they could not be 



SCOTT AND CAMPBELL COMPARED. 35 I 

reproduced by either speaker or hearer ; the im- 
pression made on the minds and hearts of those 
who heard him, will never fade until all things else 
shall fade. But the tablets on which those memories 
dear and sweet are written, are perishable, and when 
the present generation passes, or, rather, when the 
remnant of those who heard him in his prime which 
yet lingers shall have passed away, the world will 
not know any thing, save by dim and imperfect tra- 
dition, of the wonderful eloquence of this gifted, this 
princely man. 






352 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT, 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

His views on the great questions of the day — Opposed to the posi- 
tion of Soame Jenyns, M. P. — Position on the temperance and 
slavery questions — Views on Education — Address before the Col- 
lege of Teachers at Cincinnati. 

MR. SCOTT was not of a temperament that 
would permit him to be unaffected by the civil, 
political, and moral questions of his day; on all of 
them he had convictions which he was ready at all 
proper times to express, but he ever held those con- 
victions in subordination to the great religious ques- 
tions which it was the great business of his life to 
investigate, set forth, and defend. In politics he was 
a democrat, but he never permitted himself to be 
drawn into the petty intrigues and issues of party 
strife, and while he had a very high admiration of the 
great men of that party from Jefferson to Jackson, 
of the former for his statesmanship, and of the latter 
for his energy and decision, he did not withhold his 
admiration of the men and measures of the opposite 
party, when both were often such, that as a patriot, 
if not as a partisan, he could warmly approve. 
Although a foreigner by birth, he was a great lover 
of free institutions, and was proud of his citizenship, 
and none the less so because it was his deliberate 
choice, rather than a birthright. He once said to an 
intimate friend : '" I remember distinctly the moment 
that I became an American citizen in heart; it was 



HIS PATRIOTISM. 353 

not when I went through the forms of the laws of 
naturalization, but on the occasion of my meeting 
with a procession headed by a band playing the na- 
tional air, and bearing the national banner ; inspired 
by the strain as I looked on the national emblem, I 
felt that under that flag, and for it, if need be, I could 
die, and I felt at that moment that I was in feeling, 
as well as in law, an American citizen, that that 
flag was my flag, and that this country was my 
country." 

Patriotism has by some been thought to be inconsist- 
ent with Christianity, and an elaborate attempt was 
made by Soame Jenyns. a learned and pious English 
statesman, to prove that patriotism was not included 
in the list of virtues by either Christ or his apostles. 
The essay, to which allusion has been made, was re- 
garded as exhaustive and unanswerable, and is even 
yet esteemed not only .is a fine specimen of close 
thought, but as an argument for the truth of Chris- 
tianity. Elder Scott took different ground ; his views 
are striking and forcible, and admirably expressed, 
and are none the less valuable for being in opposition 
to those of one of the leading men of his age. They 
are as follows : 

"A British Parliamentarian affirms that the virtue of 
patriotism is not taught in our religion. In order to know 
whether this is correct it is necessary to understand the 
meaning of the word. Patriotism then, as I apprehend it, 
is a special attachment to our countrymen. Philanthropy 
is the love of the species — the love of all men. But pa- 
triotism is the love of country, the love of our fellow-citi- 
zens in particular. 

"This special -passion for our own, and this general be- 
30 



354 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

nevolence, or patriotism and philanthropy, are alike ele- 
ments of human nature. Nay, they have their foundation* 
in the God-head after whom man is modeled, for although 
God loves all men with benevolence, he loves his saints 
only with complacency. He is said, therefore, to be the 
preserver of all men, but especially of them who believe. 

" When God was manifest in the flesh did he — Christ — 
in his high example disclose to us in the moral form of 
overt action, the several virtues of general benevolence and 
patriotic attachment? Did he love the race — all nations? 
And did he love the Jews his countrymen and some indi- 
viduals in particular? He loved the race of man ; this is 
admitted,, and although -he died for the world yet he lived 
only for the the Jews ; and said : ' I am not sent but to 
the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' He gave his coun- 
trymen, therefore, the exclusive benefit and excellent honor 
of his own personal administrations. ' He was a minister 
of the circumcision ' said the apostle. 

"After he had arisen from the dead, and organized the 
apostolic mission, he sent the twelve to the wo*ld ; but in 
harmony both with their and his own natural patriotism he 
commanded them to begin at Jerusalem. ■ This they did, 
preaching in the first instance the gospel to none but Jews 
only. In like manner, Paul, after preaching to the Jews 
betook himself to his native city, Tarsus, among the Gen- 
tiles. Christ, then, and his apostles, were at once lovers 
of the whole race of man, and of their own countrymen, 
the Jews in particular. And can it be affirmed legiti- 
mately, their examples to the contrary notwithstanding, that 
Christianity does not teach patriotism — a superior regard 
for our own countrymen — our kinsmen according to the 
flesh ? No, No ; the British statesman is wrong. God 
loves all men, but particularly his saints. Christ was the 
desire of all nations, yet he came only to his own. The 
apostles felt for the world, but especially for their kindred 
according to the flesh, who were Israelites." And we, if we 



PATRIOTIC VIEWS. 355 

are true to nature, will have a special affection for our own 
countrymen, who are Americans. 

"But it may be asked, will not this special affection for 
our own country interfere with the rights and prerogatives 
of other countries ? It may and it may not. If regulated 
and purified it will not. Christ's personal preference for 
John interfered not with the honors of the other apostles, 
for although the mother of Zebedee's children asked that 
her sons might enjoy the distinction of sitting on his right 
and left hand in the kingdom, yet Christ gave to Peter the 
Apostolic Primacy and the keys of the kingdom. Nor did 
this patriotic preference for the Jews and Jerusalem at all 
derogate from the universality of his benevolence, for, 
although he lived for one nation, yet he died for all. He 
did not give to the world what was due to his own nation, 
nor to his own nation what was designed for the world. 
But being a philanthropist — a lover of all men — he was, of 
course, also a patriot — a lover of the Jews, his countrymen 
in particular. He did not weep over the capitals of other 
nations, but over Jerusalem he did weep. And the man 
who would attain to finished life, and be perfect as Christ 
is perfect, must, like him, live for his country, and, if it be 
necessary, die for the world. 

"But again, what is Christian patriotism? Is it Roman 
patriotism ? No, no. These two forms of patriotism are 
vastly dissimilar. They are as unlike as truth and false- 
hood, light and darkness, Christ and Caesar. Caesar rose 
to dominion by the blood of others — millions of others. 
Christ ascended by his own blood. Caesar was a tyrant. 
Christ was a servant. Caesar exalted the Roman people 
by wars, military murders, requisitions, and the general 
.degradation of the feelings and property of all other na- 
tions. Christ would have exalted the Jewish nation by 
making them the depositories of his gospel and the car- 
riers of restored rights and righteousness to all the earth 
besides. Caesar made Rome the mistress of the civilized 



356 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

world, and planted on her brows the diadems of the na- 
tions which he had plucked from their monarchs by the 
hands of a bloody and ferocious soldiery. Christ the Lord 
would have adorned Jerusalem with a crown of righteous- 
ness, and made her the queen city of nations — the medium 
and means of righteousness and religion to a fallen world — 
but she would not. The patriotism of Caesar and the 
Romans is selfishness ; that of Christ and Christians is 
benevolence — a benevolence that would develop in the 
heart and life of their countrymen gifts and graces that 
would set them high above all Greek, all Roman fame. 
The fact is this. As nature makes men what they are, so 
Christianity is designed to make them what they ought to 
be, and must be, if they would live forever. Christianity, 
therefore, is nothing less than finished life — a divine na- 
ture — the formation of a character that shall please God — 
the remodeling of man after the image of his Maker — the 
image of his Son Jesus Christ ; and as it is the business 
of all true Christians to sow society thick with such char- 
acter, and as such character alone can give stability even 
to the best and freest political institutions, it follows, there- 
fore, that Christian patriotism is the true patriotism. But 
the Christian patriot does not, like Caesar, brandish a 
sword at the kingdoms. Nor is it that morbidly sensitive 
and pensioned loquacity, too often heard in our halls of legis- 
lation, prating of law, property, trade, and commerce, lib- 
erty and the rights of man. No ! it is a pure and sublime 
passion of the soul derived to man from nature, and in the 
Christian consecrated by faith in God and Christ leading 
him earnestly to desire, and if possible to compass, the 
good and grandeur of his country by the development of 
all her resources in the formation of great and good men, 
divine character — finished life — for what is the eternal value 
of government and law, of art and science, of trade and 
commerce and manufacture, and all civil and political and 
domestic institutions, without individual and national char- 



THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION. 357 

acter? ' Righteousness alone exalts a nation, but sin is a 
reproach to any people.' 

"Who then is the Christian patriot? Is it the states- 
man? the soldier? or the saint? None of them, if he is 
not a good and honest man. He is the Christian patriot 
who, having arrayed himself with the gifts and graces of 
the divine nature, which was broken at the fall of man, 
1 like the body of Osiris, scattered to the four winds of 
heaven,' but which in the person and character of our 
Lord Jesus Christ has again 'been gathered together and 
moulded in every joint and member into an immortal fea- 
ture of loveliness and perfection,' does afterward'' labor to 
induce the same form of divine nature upon all his coun- 
trymen, and by finished life and lovely perfection swell the 
note of his country's applause among foreign nations and 
• before God the supreme ruler of the world. Yes, he is 
the true patriot, and all other forms of patriotism are bas- 
tard and illegitimate, and will at last fail to inherit the 
commendation of God. 

"Christian patriotism has for its motto ' Gur Country, 
right or wrong; 7 if right, we go with her because of the 
right ; if wrong, we go for her to deliver her from the 
wrong, and put her right. Christ and his apostles ad- 
hered to the Israelitish nation right and wrong; and 
abandoned it only at that point of utter and total incorrigi- 
bility where every nation, who refuses to reform, must 
meet its fate." « 

The temperance question was one of the great 
issues of his times ; he not only warmly approved 
of the movement when set on foot, but he, in a mea- 
sure, anticipated it, and gave his testimony against 
the use of strong drink when public sentiment was 
in its favor, and the practice almost universal. Every 
family that could afford it, had its side-board, and one 



35 8 LIFE OF ELDER WALEK SCOTT. 

of the first rites of hospitality was to invite the 
guest to drink, and his departure was attended by the 
same ceremony as the greeting. It was not at all 
unministerial for the preacher to take some of that 
kind of comfort before starting to his appointment 
some miles away, nor to repeat it on reaching the scene 
of his labors before the sermon began. Preachers 
even could engage in the manufacture of whisky 
without compromising their character ; there was as 
little disgrace in running a still-house as in managing 
a grist-rmll. Into this feeling, however, Elder Scott 
never entered, and, on one occasion, after stopping 
over night with a preaching brother who was the 
proprietor of a distillery, he gave him a solemn ad- 
monition upon the subject and closed by advising 
him to abandon the business, with the words, " Let 
the devil boil his own tea-kettle, my brother, and do 
you preach the gospel." 

He would also warn the people against the com- 
mon practice of furnishing liquor freely to workmen 
in harvest time, urging that it was ruinous in the ex- 
treme. The church at Carthage, which was planted 
by his labors, at an early period of its history was 
induced to take strong ground against intemperance. 
This was done by the passage of a resolution to the 
effect that she would have no Christian communion 
with those who used liquor, or with any one who 
should sell wine or strong drink, except for medicine 
or the Lord's Supper. This course, brought about 
by his influence and teaching, was very gratifying; 
and he expressed his pleasure at the action taken by 
the church as follows : " This is exceedingly proper, 
for how can evangelists stand up to plead with a 



THE SLA FEE V Q UES TION. 3 5 9 

community to obey the gospel, and receive the Holy 
Spirit, when others, with the name of Christ upon 
them, stand behind their counters, and make the 
hearts of the people mad with wine and ardent 
spirits ? The churches have need to cleanse their 
hands of sin, the coming of the Lord draws nigh." 

He fully sympathized with the various temperance 
organizations, and gave all the aid in his power to 
their efforts for the suppression of this monster evil, 
which like a fearful deluge had overwhelmed both pew 
and pulpit, and threatened to sweep away every virtue 
and every relic of righteousness. He had no fears 
that the church would suffer by its members allying 
themselves with the Sons of Temperance and similar 
orders, as he thought that no evil could result to re- 
ligion from virtuous practices. 

But the great question of the day was that of 
slavery, and was to him, in common with others, one 
of unbounded extent, interest, and perplexity. He 
was often called upon to define his position in regard 
to it, and frequently did so with pen and tongue in 
public and in private. He inclined to the views of 
the colonizationists, rather than those of the aboli- 
tionists, as the former proposed to return the eman- 
cipated blacks to their own country, while the latter 
demanded their instant and absolute liberation, with- 
out proposing any means, in his view, by which both 
master and slave might be able to bear the change 
with the least injury. There were difficulties in any 
view of the case ; he felt, with the wisest and best 
men in the nation, that it was an increasing and in- 
tolerable evil, and yet difficulties seemed to beset 
every method of solving it which had been proposed. 



360 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

At one time he wrote: "The manumission of our 
slave population can be accomplished now only by a 
means which heaven alone knows — I know it not;" 
and then adds, " I am no friend to slavery, I depre- 
cate its commencement, I deplore its continuance, 
and tremble for its issue ; but I am silent because I 
think to speak would be folly. What ought to be 
said I can not say, and what ought not to be said, I 
will not say." His language is that of perplexity, 
not of timidity ; and this perplexity was shared in a 
greater or less degree by the most eminent men in 
the nation ; none of them had fallen upon a solution 
of the then difficult problem — which never was 
easy of solution until solved — but that he did not 
live to see. 

The state of perplexity, to which allusion has been 
made, did not arise from any doubts as to the nature 
and tendency of slavery, but wholly from the diffi- 
culty of getting rid of it ; and yet this state of mind, 
for which there was abundant reason, gave rise to 
his being called, by a radical and impulsive brother, 
" an apologist for slavery." To this charge he re- 
plied as follows : "Be not surprised, my brother, if I 
ask where the root of the evil is to be found, and 
whether slavery is to be associated originally and 
radically with the Church, or with the State. When 
men would kill a tree they do not lop off a few of the 
uppermost boughs as you would, but strike a blow at 
the root. You are on the house-top. I wish to feel 
around the foundations, to grapple with the pillars, 
and to know the length and strength of the things 
on which the fabric is raised. It is radically a state 
question, and slavery might exist in the Union even 



1 7£ WS OX SLA VER V. 36 1 

after every disciple of the true gospel had exercised 
his individual right and freed his slaves on. the spot. 
I assert, then, that the government, and not the 
church of Christ, is to be blamed for slavery. She did 
not originate it, she did not propose it, she did not 
desire it, and she can not annul it. Hence, slavery is 
radically a political and not a religious evil. You 
have so mistaken the state of the case, or the ques- 
tion, that you have dared me to a viva voce defense 
of slavery as practiced in the United States ! I will 
not defend slavery in any State ; it is a political evil, 
and to defend it would be like defending evil of any 
other kind. The fact is, the government must be 
made to act in this affair if we would cure it, and all 
attempts to remove the disease by any other means 
is so much time lost." This was written some thirty 
years before emancipation came, but it was effected, 
as he had said, by the government ; the only power, 
in his judgment, that could remove it. 

Apart, however, from the great work of religious 
reformation, nothing occupied more of his attention 
than the subject of education. A thorough scholar, an 
eminently successful teacher, and at all times a close 
student, he was well prepared to speak on this im- 
portant theme. 

For a short period he acted as president of Bacon 
College, Kentucky, and it was, doubtless, his connec- 
tion with his institution that brought him promi- 
nently and favorably before the friends of education in 
the West. The College of Teachers and Western 
Literary Institute, which met at Cincinnati, embraced 
among its members some of the ablest men of the 
period, many of whom have since achieved a national 
31 



362 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

and even a world-wide reputation. Among them 
were Samuel Lewis, Dr. Daniel Drake, Joseph Ray, 
the author of the well known series of arithmetics 
and algebras, which have found a place in nearly 
every school and college in the land. Prof. McGuffey, 
Alex. Campbell, Bishop (now Archbishop) Purcell, 
A. Kinmont, an accomplished scholar, critic, and au- 
thor ; and Dr. Calvin E. Stowe, Professor of Sacred. 
Literature in Lane Seminary, and son-in-law of Dr. 
Lyman Beecher, and husband of Harriet Beecher 
Stowe, of Uncle Tom's Cabin fame. By this associa- 
tion Walter Scott was invited to address them at their 
anniversary in the autumn of 1837, an invitation which 
any man, at that time, might have regarded as a com- 
pliment. 

Prof. Stowe was, at that time, in Europe preparing 
a report on the Prussian system of education which 
he was expected to present at the coming anniversary, 
and was looked forward to as the lion of the occasion. 
The appointed time came, the Professor had arrived, 
and he laid before the convention the results of his 
observations, fully indorsing and recommending the 
Prussian system. A majority of the eminent scholars 
present were in favor of adopting a system which the 
Professor regarded as the most perfect scheme of 
education as yet devised by human wisdom, and were 
startled when Mr. Scott rose and gave it as his view 
that a system of education was to be discovered, not in- 
vented y and that the Prussian system, of which they 
had heard so much, was defective in that it had not 
its foundation in a proper knowledge of human na- 
ture, and was artificial rather than natural ; an at- 
tempt, in fact, to make nature conform to a system, 



VIE IVS ON ED UCA TION, 363 

rather than a system adapted to man from a profound 
knowledge of his physical, intellectual, and moral na- 
ture. Had he presented his views before Prof. Stowe 
addressed the convention, they would, beyond a doubt, 
have been warmly received ; but being in opposition 
to them, after they had been received with such gen- 
eral favor, the effect was not only to mortify his 
friends with regard to his criticisms upon the views 
of the learned Professor, but also to excite their fears 
with regard to the address he was himself soon to 
deliver. Prof. Ray feared that his speech would be 
a failure, and mentioned his fears to Alexander 
Campbell, who became, if possible, more fearful than 
he ; others heard of their fears, and in turn became 
fearful, and at last, when the fears of his best friends 
came to his ears, Scott, as was natural, became fear- 
ful himself. To make the matter worse, in order to 
give him more time, his address was postponed to 
the very latest hour, and that a most unpropitious 
hour for both speaker and audience — the hour after 
dinner. The time came, and as he ascended the steps 
of the pulpit his friends saw with dismay that he was 
pale, haggard, and trembling ; and when he stood face 
to face with his large and critical audience, the heads 
of most of his friends were down. He be^gan with 
visible embarrassment, but soon rallied ; to»ne, manner, 
expression — all improved, and before many minutes 
had passed he was master of his subject, and of his 
audience. The whole scheme of education he de- 
scribed as consisting of four grand elements, as 
follows : 

" 1 st. Things — The things taught by the master and 
learned by the pupil. 2d. Ideas — the ideas of the things 



364 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

found in the school-course, and constituting the knowledge 
of the scholar. 3d. Relation — that is, the adaptation of 
this knowledge to the intellectual and moral constitution 
of the scholar. 4th. Use — that is, the practical applica- 
tion of knowledge to the formation of the scholar's char- 
acter as a being related to material nature, to his own species 
generally, to the commonwealth in particular, and to his 
Creator. Thus education works inward from things, and 
outward to relations — four sets of external relations — and 
consists of things, and ideas ; their relations and uses as 
its elements or first principles, for under these four cate- 
gories may the whole details of the educational science be 
assembled or classed. 

"In nothing, perhaps, does man appear more eminent 
than in his admirable powers to compass and assort the 
mighty mass which the present life lays before him. In 
nothing, perhaps does he appear more grand than in his 
faculty for generalization. Although he finds himself 
thrown upon a vast globe, twenty-five thousand miles in 
circumference, and forever falling with inconceivable velo- 
city through space, and though that globe is but a com- 
ponent part of an organized system of globes called the 
solar system, and although the solar system itself be but 
one member of that vast and multitudinous family of sys- 
tems or planetaria which form the starry heavens ; and 
though he has thrown before him, in this boundless and 
tremendous scene, suns and moons, and planets and com- 
ets, and thfs great globe with its numerous contents, 
physical and rational, and its exhaustless resources, yet does 
he soar above the entire scene, himself the phoenix of it 
all ! and by his glorious powers to compass and arrange 
the endlessly varied objects of this unlimited field of living 
nature, greatly demonstrate the certainty of the divine 
oracle concerning him, namely : ' In the beginning God 
created man in his own likeness.' 

" For the sake of the answer, then, I ask, On what is the 



VIEWS ON EDUCATION. 365 

professional teacher to form bis science? I answer on 
things, and on this classification of them, namely, that 
they are all either of God or of man ; that is, they arc- 
either the things of nature or religion; or they are things 
of art or society. 

" If, then, the word things be the first predicament of sub- 
jective education, nature and religion, art and society, are 
that predicament run out in several categories, and on 
these categories will rest immediately the whole educational 
science. Two of these systems then are of God, and two 
of them of man. Nature and religion are divine systems, 
art and society are human. The first two are the divine 
mind in positive development, the last two are the human 
mind in development. In nature and religion we behold 
the power and authority of God. In art and society we 
behold the power and authority of man ; nature and art 
are systems in which we see mind acting on matter; 
religion and society, systems in which we see mind act- 
ing upon mind. In searching for the foundations of the 
educational science we find that it rests ultimately on 
things — the things of nature and art, religion and society. 
And, in making up the true school-course, we must have 
respect to this classification ; that is, the things of the di- 
vine systems may not thrust out the things of the human 
systems. Nature is not to exclude art, neither is society 
religion, or contrariwise; but the school-course is to com- 
prehend things from all these systems. 

"Nothing short of the words physical, animal, moral, 
and intellectual, will describe our entire constitution ; and 
that our external relations are reducible to four classes, for 
our physical nature connects us with material nature, our 
animal nature classes us with our species, our moral nature 
connects us with society and with God, while our intel- 
lectual constitution establishes and confirms us in all these 
relations. 

"Education, therefore, must consist of the impartation 



366 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

of knowledge — sensible, rational, conscious, and revealed 
knowledge— with reference to this four-fold nature, and to 
the relations in which it involves us ; and it must be in 
the discharge of duty as a being of these relations that 
man finds his happiness, and a field of exercise for the 
different orders of powers and sentiments found in this 
analysis of his nature. 

" His connection with material nature constitutes philos- 
ophy, chemistry, and mathematics — a part of his educa- 
tion. His animal nature makes it proper that he should 
understand natural history, physiology, and anatomy. His 
moral constitution makes mental philosophy, government, 
and economics, a part of his educational instruction ; and 
his intellectual faculties can be invigorated and matured 
only by a due supply of all these kinds of knowledge. 

" But now, if it be inquired what it is, in a moral point 
of view, that the professional teacher may, by the course 
recommended, develop in the nature of his pupil, I an- 
swer, certain cardinal virtues, as the love of truth, taste, or 
love of the useful and the beautiful, the love of our own 
species, the love of God ; elements of virtuous character 
to which the subjects of education are severally and re- 
spectively related. 

"Is it asked, What is that virtue which is especially fos- 
tered and made fruitful by the study of the things of na- 
ture in all her forms, colors, sounds, attitudes, motions, 
actions, changes, heights, and .distances, tastes and odors, 
tacts and expressions of utility, beauty and grace, the pic- 
turesque, the grand and the sublime, with the variety of 
her natural history, natural philosophy, chemistry, etc. ? 
It is answered, the love of truth. This entire department 
of knowledge works together for the love of truth in 
man. 

"But again, what is that element in our nature set free 
by the study of the arts ? Taste — taste for the useful, taste 
for the beautiful and the grand, an attribute in our nature 



VIEWS ON EDUCATION. 367 

to the proper development of which is very nearly related 
all that is beautiful in polished life, and elegant in refined 
manners. It is in this element of education, that man 
chiefly finds his ideal conceptions of the illustrious and 
the grand, the graceful and the fair; for it is in art alone 
that he can fully assemble or group the elements which 
constitute these ideas. 

"Divest education of study in the arts, and you divest 
it of a chief element. If you break not the shaft, if you 
raze not the foundation, you at least strike from the eleva- 
tion to which it is entitled the chief ornament of the column 
of education ; you dethrone its capital and negative the fair- 
est forms and loveliest specimens of human genius to which 
society has given birth in every age of the world, from 
'him who, before the flood, invented the organ, down to 
Handel, Haydn, and Mozart ; from Praxiteles and 
Phidias to Thom and Cordova; from him who sculptured 
out for everlasting admiration, the Venus de Medicis, and 
horrific Laocoon, down to David ; from him whose pencil 
breathed life upon the walls of Grecian temples, down to 
Raphael the sublime, and Michael Angelo, and Rubens 
who grouped his fair creations like ' hillocks of roses.' 

"Again, what moral element is chiefly addressed by the 
study of that part of education which is referable to society? 
I answer, philanthropy — the love of our own species. So- 
ciety is an expression of our sense of the duty of each indi- 
vidual to all the rest, and of the duty of all the rest to 
each individual. 

"Now, it is certain that there are in that part 
of the educational course supplied from this source 
many co-relatives of • the virtue styled philanthropy, 
such as generosity, liberality, hospitality, and a thou- 
sand other of the charities of life ; but these are all an 
under-grovvth in comparison of the master virtue, the 
love of our own species manifesting itself by justice, and 
every other grace of behavior. Philanthropy is a cardinal 



368 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

virtue, and it is a greatly important point to be, like 
Aristides, just. 

■" Finally, what is it that is chiefly inculcated by religion? 
answer, the love of God, resolving it into a belief of his 
existence, and true and gracious character as our Creator 
and Redeemer by Jesus Christ. Lord Bacon has said that 
' the grand end of philosophy was to fill society with arts 
and useful inventions,' and it may be added, that the end 
of religion is to sow society with divine principles and 
righteousness." 

As he proceeds to elaborate the views of which 
the above extracts are but a faint outline, his hearers 
were brought into, warm sympathy with him ; he 
made them see and feel the truth and beauty of the* 
theory of education which he proposed, and one of 
those who doubted and feared when he began, says 
that before he closed, the audience was enraptured. 
The speaker was all that could be desired. He was 
grand. He was sublime. All drooping heads were 
lifted, all fears removed. When he closed, one of 
the best thinkers in the convention, A. Kinmont, 
rose and moved a vote of thanks to the speaker " for 
the only profoundly philosophical discourse that had 
been delivered during the convention." The mover 
was a metaphysician, and was perfectly carried away 
with Scott's speech. It was a triumph — a triumph 
under difficulties, and one of which any man might 
have been proud. 

He afterward wrote at length upon this subject, 
and threw much light upon educational science. He 
anticipated many of the wants of society in this 
particular, and education has since that time been 
advancing in the path which he pointed out. He 



VIEWS ON EDUCATION. 369 

greatly favored teaching by experiment rather than 
by rote ; he deemed it better to address the eye by 
objects, and collections of specimens from every de- 
partment of natural history, than to address the ear, 
as was then the custom, by a recital of their names 
and properties. He saw, too, that in a country, and 
under a government like ours, a system different 
from that of the old world was needed, a system 
peculiarly national ; and, above all, he insisted upon 
uniting moral with literary and scientific culture. 
Nor were his labors in vain, and he is worthy to be 
regarded for his toil, in this field, as a public bene- 
factor. 



370 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Discussions growing out of Scott's plea — His own distaste for con- 
troversy — Debate between Hayden and Hubbard — A short con- 
troversy — The crawfish hole argument — Hartzell and Waldo's 
discussion — The farmer and scholar meet. 

FOR several years after Scott came before the 
people with his plea for the restoration of the 
primitive gospel, public discussions were frequent. 
Wherever he or his fellow-laborers came, the whole 
community was thrown into a ferment, which was 
but the natural result of views so long unquestioned 
being assailed and brought into doubt, and others, 
new and strange, presented and enforced -with rare 
ability. But this was not all, the new views were 
readily adopted by many who had long rejected the 
orthodox views as contradictory ; and even many of 
those who had previously accepted them fell in with 
the teaching of the men whom they regarded at first 
as turning the world upside down. 

This, more than all things else, aroused the leaders 

of the various religious parties to the defense of their 

long-cherished doctrines, and caused them to forget, 

•for a season, their old rivalries, and unite against the 

Disciples whom they regarded as a common foe. 

Prior to this time, the contest had been between 
the partisans of the different and conflicting creeds — 
Calvinism against its opposite, Arminianism ; Uni- 
versalism against Partialism, or universal redemption 



Q UESTIONS DISCUSSED. 3 7 1 

against particular redemption ; sovereign and irre- 
sistible grace on one side, and free will on the other. 
Faith alone, against faith and works, and numberless 
other points of difference, exercised the skill and zeal 
of the various religious teachers, each of which was 
like a faithful watchman on the walls of his own little 
Zion, quick to perceive, and ready to repel any dan- 
ger that might threaten, and equally ready to assail 
the. weak points of the foe. 

Nothing can be clearer than that this state of 
things could not have prevailed had the Bible, as the 
only rule of faith and practice, never been departed 
from ; for no one could for a moment entertain the 
thought that views perfectly contradictory could be 
found in the Bible, for that would destroy faith in it 
as the Word of God. 

The contest would have been interminable had 
not a new element been introduced ; for the various 
creeds and religious systems were of equal au- 
thority — that is, they were equally the work of man ; 
and the Bible was resorted to, not in order to find 
the system that was attempted to be established, 
but, if possible, to draw from it something that 
would seemingly sustain it. Calvinists would ad- 
duce passages taken out of their connection to 
prove unconditional election, and the Universalists 
others, to prove that the entire race would be saved 
unconditionally ; while the conclusions of both were 
at utter variance with such clear and unmistakable 
declarations of conditionality as " He (Christ) be- 
came the author of an eternal salvation to all them 
that obey him," and " Blessed are they that do his 
commandments," which would be unmeaning if 



3/2 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

Christ were the author of an eternal salvation to all 
the disobedient ; and if those who did not do his 
commandments were as safe as those who did; both 
parties ignoring the decisions of the last day — the 
" well done" of final approval, and the "depart" to 
endless woe. Learned men would make the Mosaic 
covenant and the new covenant, or covenant in 
Christ, identical, in the face of all the various terms 
employed by an apostle to show that they were dif- 
ferent and distinct. He calls the latter a " better 
covenant," a " second covenant," a " new covenant," 
one " not according to," or unlike the Mosaic — all 
of which clearly imply another ; and yet it was the 
same! They could not fail, however, to perceive 
that two covenants were spoken of; and, as it would 
not suit their -purpose to admit that the Mosaic was 
the first, they proved that a covenant, which they 
claimed had been made with Adam, was the first, 
by reference to Gal. iii : 12: "And the law is not 
of faith ; but the man that doeth them shall live in 
them ;" while Paul uses it with reference to the 
Mosaic covenant. With equal clearness and satis- 
faction to themselves, infant baptism was proved by 
the passage, " suffer little children to come unto 
me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom 
of heaven ;" this was regarded as clear and unmis- 
takable evidence that they were baptized, although 
the sacred record says, that " he took them in his 
arms, put his hands on them, and blessed them." 
But a great change took place when the Disciples 
said, show us your system in the Bible ; you must 
not simply get your proof, but you must get the prop- 
osition — the thing to be proved — from that book ; 



THE BIBLE AND TRADITIOX. 3/3 

it will not answer to get your doctrine or practice 
from other sources, and attempt to sustain them by 
texts of Scripture which were written with reference 
to entirely different matters; such a course is not 
treating the Word of God fairly, but rather to per- 
vert it. Confident, however, of the strength of 
their positions and their hold upon the public mind, 
and regarding the Disciples as few and feeble, and 
easy to be crushed by a combined effort, the leaders 
of the various religious parties rather invited than 
shunned controversy, while the little band, armed 
with the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of 
God, were calm and confident. 

The strife 'soon waxed hot, and those who wielded 
the blade of heavenly temper soon showed the 
superiority of that weapon over all the arms of sec- 
tarian warfare. No armor of human device was proof 
against the old Jerusalem blade, and its quick, bright 
flashing in every contest against long-cherished and 
time-honored errors was ever the harbinger of speedy 
and glorious victory. No weapon formed against it 
could prosper; the learning and talent brought to 
sustain false and unscriptural views were of little 
avail in this struggle ; men of the humblest attain- 
ments, destitute of the aids and adornments of 
learning, with minds replete with the Word of God, 
and hearts filled with the love for it, because it was 
His Word, met with those the most gifted in all other 
respects ; but the Sword of the Spirit in their hands, 
like the famous Damascus blade, pierced through the 
mail of false logic, by which error was defended, and, 
like the same weapon, cut asunder the silken scarf 
of brilliant rhetoric, which was so often used to 



374 ■• - LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

render plausible the traditions of men, which long 
had usurped the place of the commandments of 
God. Or, to change the figure, the ponderous 
Goliaths of orthodoxy, clad in all the panoply of 
learning, libraries, and bodies of divinity, sustained 
by popular sentiment, and long and unquestioned 
usage, fell before the men of one book, as the mailed 
giant fell before the stripling David, armed only with 
his sling and a few smooth stones from the brook. 
A single, "thus saith the Lord " would sweep away 
a host of inferences, however plausible, and a single 
scriptural example outweigh the reasonings of a 
multitude, no matter how learned and pious they 
might be. 

The truth proved to be mighty, and many persons 
of influence, learning, and position, at the sacrifice 
of nearly all that men hold dear, changed their reli- 
gious views and relations under the teachings of 
men every way their inferiors, save in purity of life, 
and an intimate acquaintance with the English 
Bible. 

Possessed, as Elder Scott was, of great learning, 
as well as of great and various talents, it is some- 
what remarkable that he took but little part in the 
numerous discussions of the day which grew out of 
the plea which he was the first to advocate with 
such marked ability and success. He was not fond 
of controversy, although his preaching did much to 
provoke it, as it was in direct conflict with the 
prevalent religious teaching of the times ; but he was 
so guarded and careful in his public addresses that 
those who differed from him were under the ne- 
cessity of opposing, not a new theory or system of 



NO T FOND OF CO NTH VERS Y. 375 

the preacher's differing from and subversive of their 
own, but were compelled to deny what the Scriptures 
expressly affirmed. He was often interrupted and 
rudely assailed during his public ministrations ; and 
at such times his answers were so ready, so much to 
the purpose, and, withal, in such a meek and gentle 
spirit, that he scarcely ever failed to leave a good im- 
pression on those who were present ; and, during his 
long editorial career, whenever his views were called 
in question, he was always able to thrust or parry, 
as he was on the offensive or defensive, with a skill 
and temper truly admirable — and yet he was not a 
controversialist. 

This peculiarity, for such it doubtless was, when the 
spirit of investigation, which was every-where aroused 
by his preaching, is considered, arose not from any 
want of the logical and critical faculty, for few men of 
modern times have given better evidence of the pos- 
session of such power than he ; but the personalities, 
and the desire for victory, apart from the interests of 
truth, were distasteful in the highest degree to his truth- 
ful and sensitive nature. He loved to preach the glad 
tidings, as found in the gospel message, more than 
disputation ; to call sinners to repentance, more than 
to triumph over an adversary ; he was willing to 
leave his views to the fate they deserved, well know- 
ing that if true they could not be overthrown, and 
without a wish for their success if they were other- 
wise than true. 

Discussion, however, in those times was not only 
needful and beneficial, but unavoidable ; rendered so 
by the revolutionary nature of his plea for an aban- 
donment of all that was modern, new, and of human 



376 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

device in religion, and a return to that which was 
ancient, old, and divine. The times demanded men 
of war, and such were many of his fellow-laborers ; 
and, indeed, nearly all the preachers in the early 
period of this movement, like the Jews who came 
from captivity to restore the temple, were obliged to 
defend from the violence of their enemies the walls 
they were striving to uprear. 

One of these discussions took place in Portage 
County, between Stephen M. Hubbard, a Methodist 
minister, and William Hayden, as early as 1828, on 
the design of baptism ; but the time, which was lim- 
ited to a single afternoon, was not sufficient for a full 
examination ofHhe subject. This debate, however, 
gave rise to another upon the same question, in which 
three speakers on each side participated ; and the fact 
that the number of the Disciples was soon greatly 
increased in the region where the debate took place, 
showed very clearly which side was regarded as suc- 
cessful. Another very brief yet decisive contest was 
upon the proposition that "the sinner is justified by 
faith only!' The minister who affirmed set forth his 
proof, and having consumed about half an hour took his 
seat. His opponent read in reply the following pas- 
sage of Scripture : " Ye see then how that by works a 
man is justified, and not by faith only " (Jas. ii : 24), and, 
though not regarding or intending it as proof that jus- 
tification was by works only, he saw that it was fatal 
to the position of his opponent, so, without a word of 
comment, he took his seat. Again the affirmative 
attempted to sustain his position, and again he was 
met by the reading of the same verse ; an hour's 
labor had been spent and spent in vain ; it had been 



HARTZEL AND WALDO. 2)77 

agreed that the Scriptures should decide, and the 
verse which denied the proposition under discussion 
had not been disposed of, and he wisely concluded to 
abandon a contest in which the way to success was 
so effectually closed by a single passage from the 
Book of God. 

The next case will be given more in detail, as it is 
a representative one, and well calculated to show the 
advantage which truth gives in a discussion, above all 
the aids and appliances of learning and culture when 
these are employed in the interests of error. The 
disputant in this instance, on the part of the Disciples, 
was Jonas Hartzel, a plain farmer, with little learn- 
ing, but a man of strong native sense, who, by close 
thought and careful reading of the Scriptures, had 
become quite a forcible speaker, his strength consist- 
ing in his ability to show what the teaching of the 
Bible was upon any given th#me. His opponent was 
the Rev. Mr. Waldo, a minister of the Congregational 
Church, a gentleman of fine literary attainments, a 
fluent speaker, well read upon the theological ques- 
tions of the day, and at that time* at the head of a 
literary institution on the Western Reserve. 

The circumstances were as follows : Mrs. Julia A. 
King, wife of Judge King, of Warren, and a member 
of the Congregational Church, having heard Mr. 
Hartzel, became convinced of the truth as presented 
by him, and consequently that her own religious posi- 
tion was untenable ; after examining the matter fully, 
she decided upon leaving the popular church of 
which she was a member and uniting with the Dis- 
ciples, a step which required more moral courage and 
involved a greater sacrifice then than now. This 
3 2 * 



37% 



LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



change caused quite an excitement, the social position 
of Mrs. King, her standing in the church, and culti- 
vated manners causing her to be regarded as one of 
the most influential persons in the circle in which she 
moved. The Rev. Waldo, then residing at Farming- 
ton, Trumbull County, hearing of the defection of 
such a prominent personage, visited Warren, and 
sought an interview with Mrs. King, with the benev- 
olent purpose of convincing her of her error, and of 
inducing her to return to the fold from whence she had 
strayed. The desired interview was readily granted, 
and Mr. Hartzel was invited to be present. Mr. 
Waldo, to his great astonishment, found the lady well 
prepared to defend the step she had taken, and Mr. 
Hartzel, in a short time, discovered that she needed 
no aid at his hands, and remained a silent and grati- 
fied listener. Mr. Waldo made "baptism for the re- 
mission of sins" the chftf point of attack, declaring 
that it was a dangerous and most ruinous heresy. 
Mrs. King defended herself so skillfully that Mr. 
Waldo became somewhat irritated at being foiled by 
one of the weaker vessels, and, turning to Mr. Hart- 
zel, who was quietly watching the progress of the 
contest, said : " Sir, I will debate this question with 
Alexander Campbell or yourself." Mr. Hartzel was 
too much gratified at the course matters were taking, 
to have any desire to interfere, and made no reply, 
and the conversation between Mr. Waldo and Mrs. 
King was resumed. At its close, Mr. Hartzel said 
to* Mr. Waldo: "I now accept your invitation to a 
discussion, but it is now too late to settle the prelim- 
inaries ; we can do that, however, by letter ; and it 
will be proper for you to write first." In a short time 



HARTZEL AND WALDO. Z79 

Mr. Hartzel received a letter, in which the time 
place, rules of order, and question to be debated were 
proposed, all of which were accepted without change. 
The discussion took place in the presence of a 
large and deeply interested audience. The question 
was : <f Should penitent sinners be baptized for the re- 
mission of sins ?" and, of course, Mr. Hartzel affirmed. 
The debate occupied two days, with night sessions. 
Mr. Waldo proved to be an honorable disputant ; his 
opponent was not inferior to him in that respect, and 
the result was highly gratifying to Mrs. King and 
her friends. It was soon rumored that Mr. Waldo 
was not satisfied with his efforts, and rumor was 
soon converted into certainty as follows : Mr. Hartzel 
having occasion to visit Farmington, made a friendly 
call on his former antagonist, and was kindly received. 
After some general conversation, Mr. Waldo remarked, 
" I am not satisfied with my effort in our recent dis- 
cussion ; I needed more time, and I would like to 
discuss the same question with you again." Mr. 
Hartzel replied, that, as far as he was concerned, he 
was satisfied with the debate, but added, " If you desire 
further discussion, there are other differences between 
us ; for instance, the mode and subjects of baptism." 
Mr. Waldo replied : " The mode is unimportant ; and 
if baptism be for the remission of sins, infants can 
not be the subjects of the ordinance." This, of course, 
was Mr. Hartzel's own view of the case, so another 
discussion on the old issue was agreed on, and Youngs- 
town as the place. They met according to agreement, 
the disputants each selected a moderator, and these 
selected Mr. Rockwell, an honorable lawyer, as pres- 
ident of the board. As Mr. Waldo had complained 



3^0 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

of want of time at the former discussion, which was 
two days, it was agreed that this should continue 
three days. Yet, strange to tell, but one-half of the 
time was consumed when Mr. Waldo proposed that 
he should ask five questions, which Mr. Hartzel was 
to answer, and then the discussion should close. To 
this proposition Mr. Hartzel made no reply. Mr. 
Waldo then appealed to the audience to decide upon 
the merits of his proposal, but they declined to vote 
upon the matter. Mr. Hartzel then rose, and said : 
" Mr. Waldo, catechisms are for the edification of 
children ; please refer your proposal to the board of 
moderators." He did so, but the moderators decided 
that they had nothing to do with any new arrange- 
ment, and that the discussion must be continued in 
accordance with the rules which had been agreed 
upon. A long and significant pause followed this 
decision, when Mr. Hartzel, who perceived where the 
difficulty lay, rose and said : " Mr. Waldo, I will now 
propose the condition on which you may retire from 
this discussion ; if you will say to the audience that 
you have nothing more to offer, you may withdraw." 
This was a hard alternative, but he was defeated, and 
knew it, and, though it was exceedingly mortifying, 
it would have been worse to have attempted to main- 
tain a useless contest, and he therefore rose and said : 
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have nothing more to 
offer." 

It must be remembered that Mr. Waldo gave the 
challenge, and that in education he had greatly the 
advantage of his opponent, and was, to say the least, 
his equal in controversial skill ; and his defeat, nay, 
his utter failure, can only be explained on the ground 



THE CRA WFISH HOLE. 38 I 

of the weakness of his own position and the strength 
of that which he had assailed. 

Sometimes the discussions, then so frequent, be- 
came somewhat ludicrous, as in the following instance : 
The question under discussion was the mode of bap- 
tism, and, as usual, the baptism of the Ethiopian eu- 
nuch was made a strong point by the advocate of 
immersion. His antagonist, who knew something 
of the power of ridicule, without thinking that it 
might be turned against himself, argued that the 
"certain water" must have been very limited in ex- 
tent and deficient in quantity, and concluded by giv- 
ing it as his opinion that the "certain water" was 
only a crawfish hole. Those who are familiar with 
the small mounds thrown up by this little sbell-fish 
will remember that the hole is scarcely large enough 
to admit a good sized finger, and that the water is 
often a considerable distance below the surface, fre- 
quently entirely out of reach. With great adroitness, 
the advocate of immersion responded : " If the sup- 
position of the gentleman be correct, it will make 
good sense to insert the term he has chosen in the 
place of water in the text." He then proceeded, 
with all the gravity possible, to read as follows : "And 
as they went on their way, they came to a certain 
crawfish hole, and the eunuch said, See, here is a 
crawfish hole, what doth hinder me to be baptized ?" 
At this there was a slight titter in the audience, and 
the preacher proceeded with the reading, but when 
he came to read " and he commanded the chariot to 
stand still, and they went down into the crazvfish hole, 
both Philip and the eunuch," the titter became a sub- 
dued laugh ; but the inexorable preacher continued, 



382 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

"and he baptized him ; and when they were come up 
out of the crawfish hole" — this proved too much, and 
the audience burst into loud and long-continued laugh- 
ter ; and the preacher, when silence was in a measure 
restored, turning to his now discomfited opponent, 
very gravely observed : " Were we not discussing a 
serious and important matter, I should feel inclined 
to say that my friend here was crawfishing." This 
reference to the peculiar style of this animal's ad- 
vancing backwards was too much ; the audience again 
exploded, and the advocate of the crawfish hole theory 
had nothing more to offer. 

One of the most important of these encounters 
took place at Newton Falls, in the autumn of 1841. 
Messrs. Steadman and Luckock, ministers of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, had taken a vow to root 
out the " heresy," as they termed the teaching of the 
Disciples, from the Western Reserve, and to this end 
a discussion was arranged between them and Elders 
A. B. Green and M. L. Wilcox. Rules of debate had 
been agreed upon and signed by. both parties, but 
when the appointed time arrived, the champions of 
"Methodism utterly refused to enter upon the discus-* 
sion unless the Rev. Mr. Waldo, the Congregational 
minister already alluded to, should be added to their 
number. They regarded Messrs. Green and Wilcox 
as ignorant and unlearned men, and by adding to their 
own number a critic, scholar, and theologian, they 
hoped to make their expected victory a decisive one. 
Unjust and unexpected as this demand was, it was 
thought best by Elders Green and Wilcox to yield to 
it, knowing that a refusal to do so would be regarded 
by their opponents as yielding the points at issue 



THE FARMER AND SCHOLAR MEET. 383 

without a struggle. The choice of the Rev. Waldo 
made it necessary for the other party to choose an- 
other, and they selected John Henry, a wise choice 
on their part, but fatal, as the issue proved, to those 
who had rendered that choice needful. 

The disputants were all men of ability, but John 
Henry soon became chief in the esteem of the large 
assembly gathered on that occasion. Few men could 
command their resources better than he ; his thoughts 
were well denned, and uttered with a rapidity which 
required the closest attention to keep up with them ; 
so self-possessed that it was impossible to throw him 
off his guard ; perfectly original in his treatment of 
his subject ; without an equal in that region in a 
knowledge of the Scriptures, which he quoted from 
memory as readily and accurately as others could read 
from the open book ; quick and keen in repartee, and 
able to preserve his gravity while giving utterance to 
things that convulsed his audience with laughter, and 
yet so deeply and solemnly in earnest as to often 
make his hearers feel as if the judgment day were at 
hand. All his life he had been a laborer in the forest 
and on his farm — was indeed a farmer still ; was des- 
titute of the advantages possessed by his opponents, 
claiming nothing save a moderate knowledge of his 
mother tongue — his theology, what he had learned 
from the English Bible. 

Mr. Waldo was a clergyman and magnified his 
office, showing that he held it as something not to be 
despised to belong to the clerical order ; he was a 
classical scholar, the man of learning for this occasion, 
whose province was to introduce at the proper time 
the inevitable and indispensable Greek ; he had 



3-84 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

studied theology under the celebrated Moses Stuart, 
of Andover ; was fully panoplied for the combat ; and, 
under these circumstances, it would have been strange 
had he not felt toward his antagonist somewhat as 
did the mailed Philistine when the stripling David 
came out to meet him with a sling and stone. 

When he arose, he could neither conceal his confi- 
dence in his own abilities and advantages, nor his 
contempt for the views he was to assail and the foe 
over which he expected to gain an easy victory. In- 
deed, he did riot regard the subject as one requiring 
serious argument ; the views of the Disciples were 
only fit themes for ridicule, and to the use of this 
weapon he applied himself in a strain somewhat as 
follows : " The Campbellites have never understood 
the religion of Christ ; they have never got into its 
heart ; they are foolishly pecking away at the outside ; 
they are sticking in the bark ; they are like the old 
fiddler who was standing on a bridge looking at the 
stream flow by ; his fiddle fell from its case into the 
river, and, as it floated away, one of the bystanders 
said, 'Your fiddle is gone.' 'Never mind,' said the 
fiddler, 'all is right; I have got the case all safe,' 
and he hugged the box that had contained the instru- 
ment closer than ever before." He then proceeded : 
" I give the Campbellites. warning, thiit they may ex- 
pect rough handling. I was accustomed as well as 
my opponent to swing the axe and the maul when I 
was young. I know how to give hard blows ; let 
them look out. The Campbellites are like a parrot, 
ever repeating the same thing, always crying out 
'water! water! it is water that purifies the heart!' — 
these poor creatures do not understand the Bible ; 



TIEKfiY'S SPEECH. 385 

the Scriptures say : ' Faith that works by love purifies 
the heart.' " He for some other reason compared 
the Campbellites, as he called them, to a pair of sheep- 
shears, and with such material made himself merry, 
wholly unconscious of the reckoning so near at hand ; 
and, having fully exhausted his quiver of every shaft 
of wit and satire, with an air of perfect complacency 
and self-satisfaction, he took his seat. 

John Henry's usually impassive features underwent 
frequent changes during this singular speech, and 
when he arose to reply, there was a dangerous light 
in his keen, piercing eyes. He was perfectly cool 
and collected, but it was the calm which precedes the 
blinding flash and the terrible thunder peal, and soon 
the bolt fell. He began by saying : " My brethren 
have appointed me as a true yoke-fellow with Mr. 
Waldo, and I intend to follow him jump for jump ; 
he has told of his great learning, his long study, his 
knowledge of the Bible, and every thing connected 
with it ; while we, listening to his threats and boasts, 
sat in wonder and amazement at the mighty things 
that we were to hear and see to-day. But alas ! alas ! 
how we have been disappointed ! The sum and sub- 
stance of his speech, the entire fat and marrow of it, 
the product of his great learning and preparation, 
absolutely all the points he brought forth for me to 
answer are these, which I have noted down on this 
bit of paper — namely: 'hickory bark,' 'an empty 
fiddle-case,' 'a parrot,' and 'a pair of sheepshears ;' 
these are the potent arguments to which he expects 
me to reply" — and, holding up his left hand, he enu- 
merated them upon his fingers : "First, hickory bark ; 
second, an empty fiddle-case ; third, a parrot ; fourth, 
33 



$86 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

a pair of sheepshears" — and upon these he rung the 
changes, and made the task of answering them seem 
so hopeless, and at the same time so ludicrous, that 
the audience was convulsed with mirth and his op- 
ponent overwhelmed with shame and mortification. 
But the end was not yet. He proceeded : "My friend 
Mr. Waldo has informed you that, though now a great 
scholar, he was once a laboring man ; that in his 
youth he swung the axe and mallet. All I have 
to say on that point is, that his being here to-day 
alive and well is a certain proof that he knew better 
how to use those tools than he does how to use the 
Bible ; for if he had handled the axe and mallet as 
awkwardly as he does the Bible, it 's a God's blessing 
that he did not beat his brains out long years ago." 
He then assailed, in the most merciless manner, Mr. 
Waldo's method of quoting Scripture." " My friend," 
said he, "has given us but little proof of his biblical 
knowledge ; the little he did quote — 'Faith that works 
by love purifies the heart' — was inaccurate ; he took 
two unconnected passages and stuck them together, 
and quoted that for Scripture. You can make any 
thing you please out of the Bible in that way. Let 
me try. ' On the last great day of the feast, Jesus 
stood and cried, By the Gods of Pharoah ye are all 
spies.' 'Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth 
out the corn, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.' 
'Judas went out and hanged himself; go thou and 
do likewise, and what thou.doest, do quickly.' There, 
that is the way Mr. Waldo quotes Scripture." 

The effect of this speech, rapid and sharp as the dis- 
charge of musketry, was truly wonderful ; the audience 
was convulsed with laughter, and the blow came so 



HENRY'S SPEECH. 387 

sudden and unexpected upon Mr. Waldo that he 
looked upon Henry in blatik astonishment ; the smil- 
ing and self-satisfied look with which he had taken 
his seat but a short time before gave place to such a 
sudden and ridiculous sobriety as was ludicrous in the 
extreme, and the most serious man in the house could 
not restrain himself at beholding his puzzled, amazed, 
and confounded look. This terrible onslaught Henry 
followed by a clear and convincing presentation of 
the teaching of the Bible on the points at issue, 
which was perfectly overwhelming. 

The discussion continued for four days, before the 
close of which Henry was compelled to leave in order 
to fulfill a previous engagement. The then youthful 
A. S. Hayden, one of Scott's early converts, was ap- 
pointed to fill his place ; and, though he had never 
before taken part in a public discussion, the cause 
which he defended lost nothing in his hands. Henry 
himself was one of Scott's earliest and most intimate 
associates, and not only understood the plea which 
he advocated, but defended it on many occasions with 
rare ability. 

The result of this and similar discussions was that 
the number of the Disciples was greatly increased ; 
some who had been enemies and assailants were won 
over, and in some instances became preachers of the 
faith they had once striven to destroy. 



388 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

His plea for the name Christian — Visit to the East — Views on Millerism — 
Removal to Pittsburg — Labors as Colporteur — Description of the 
Great Fire. 

ABOUT 1840, the name by which the people 
should be known who had been gathered to- 
gether by the labors of Campbell and Scott began to 
be an important question. Hitherto they had been 
known as Reformed Baptists or Reformers, Disciples, 
Campbellites, and at an early stage of the movement, 
in some localities where Scott labored, they were 
termed Scottites. This use of his name Elder Scott 
publicly rebuked by calling one who had made ship- 
wreck of his faith a Scottite. The necessity of hav- 
ing one name as the body increased in numbers be- 
came manifest, and, as points of difference in other 
matters had been settled by the Word of God, it was 
supposed that this also could be decided in the same 
way. Modern names, of course, made no figure in 
the discussion, as they were given by the other par- 
ties, and were rather nicknames than otherwise, and 
never had been acknowledged by those to whom they 
were given, and the choice was soon narrowed down 
to two — namely : Disciples of Christ and Christians. 
For the former Mr. Campbell contended, while Scott 
thought that stronger reasons could be urged in favor 
of the latter. Mr. Campbell regarded the name " Dis- 
ciples of Christ" as preferable on several accounts, 



PLEA FOR THE NAME CHRISTIAN. 389 

but the reasons which doubtless weighed most with 
him were, that the name Christian had been appro- 
priated by a people who were regarded as denying 
the divinity of Christ, and that no religious denomi- 
nation would ever consent to its being worn by the 
new party, as it would be a reflection on themselves 
for having abandoned it for some other. 

Elder Scott was of the opinion that to call Bible 
things and persons by Bible names was a correct 
principle, whether other parties would admit and prac- 
tice it or not, and thought that they would be as likely 
to object to the name "Disciples of Christ" as to 
the name Christian ; that the latter meant all that 
the former did, and even more, being a more exten- 
sive term, and better than any or all others describ- 
ing the relation of the saint to the Savior. He, 
moreover, urged that the word " Disciple" was not a 
proper name at all, but a common noun, and hence 
but a relative designation, like brethren, children, 
saints, and that as the Holy Scriptures inform us 
that " the disciples were named Christians," no other 
name could be lawful or necessary. He likewise 
argued from the language of Agrippa to Paul, "almost 
thou persuadest me to be a Christian," that the apos- 
tle was persuading men to become Christians, and 
that the commendation of the church at Pergamos, 
" Thou holdest fast my name," and the similar one to 
the church at Philadelphia, " Thou hast not denied 
my name," sanctioned the use of the name Christian. 
" It is," said he, " a royal name, if we retain and 
honor it, and we can not honor it unless we retain it." 
He gave also a fine analysis of the passage in Acts xi : 
26 : " The disciples were called Christians first in 



39° LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

Antioch," arguing that the name was given by Bar- 
nabas and Paul by divine authority and direction, and 
showed, by the admission of the greatest names in 
theology, that, in opposition to the practice of the 
various churches which they represented, the mem- 
bers of the primitive church were known every-where 
as Christians. He also introduced the well-known 
fact, that, when the followers of Jesus were brought 
before the pagan magistrates in the days of the per- 
secuting emperors, the question proposed to each one 
was, "Are you a Christian?" and that to own this 
name was a capital crime ; and in his mind it was a 
name not only taken from that of the Master, and 
descriptive, as no other was, of the pardoned sinner's 
relation to him, but also one that bore the seal of the 
blood of the martyrs. 

Since the period of this discussion the other names 
have gradually become less common, and it now 
seems probable that the one name, " Christian," will 
be the only one by which the people separated by the 
labors of Scott and Campbell will be known. 

During the winter of 1841-42, Elder Scott spent 
some three months in the East, visiting successively 
Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. He gives 
the following account of his journey over the Alle- 
ghany Mountains, and the truly warm and primitive 
Christian reception he met with at his journey's end : 

"Friday morning being snowy, and the passengers for 
the East numerous, each stowed himself away in his respect- 
ive seat in the stage the best and warmest way he might, 
and late in the evening of the same day we all reached the 
foot of the Alleghanies, and began amidst a snow-storm to 
ascend the mountains. Our stage broke down, but with- 



VISIT TO THE EAST. 39 1 

out damage to the passengers. Here I may just note that 
perhaps never was it before the fortune of a poor Christian 
to be pent up in the same small space with an equal num- 
ber of more immoral and irreligious persons than was the 
writer in this stage. They were utterly abominable, and 
we bore till patience ceased to be a virtue. Lord Bacon 
says that ' certainly virtue is like precious odors, most 
fragrant when they are incensed or crushed.' We felt our- 
self, after a certain length of time, incensed or crushed, or, 
as his lordship means, bruised and burnt by their guilty and 
irreligious behavior, and we could restrain the savor of our 
religion no longer. As the apostle commands, we rebuked 
them sharply, but in a tone, and temper, and measure so 
suited to the occasion, as, without giving offense, to leave 
them rather crest-fallen. Fain would two or more of the 
oldest and boldest of them have rebelled, but the hammer, 
and fire, and flaming sword of the Spirit of God, not im- 
prudently nor unskillfully applied, proved more than a 
match for their carnal courage, and the whole were ulti- 
mately subdued to silence. In spite of storms and other 
casualties by steamboat, stage, and steam cars, we all ar- 
rived safe in the city of Baltimore, early on the 20th of 
December, for which we had a thousand reasons to bless 
our good and gracious God. 

"From the Exchange Hotel we repaired to the hospit- 
able domicil of our brother in faith and spirit Alexander 
Reed, and certainly never was man by man or brother by 
brother received in a manner more congenial with the 
spirit and precept of primitive Christianity than we by 
him: ' Simon,' said our great and glorious Master to a 
certain Pharisee, ' I entered into thine house, and thou 
gavest me no water for my feet — thou gavest me no kiss." 
Not so with this man of God — this disciple of Christ. He 
embraced us, kissed us, and . graciously washed our feet. 
Before we commenced this journey, we had campaigned it 
for a series of weeks together ; had lifted from the bosom 



392 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

of the Ohio River twenty converts at a time, with our own 
hands ; and, enfeebled in body and exhausted in mind, 
had seen a hundred happy citizens born into the kingdom 
of our God. These, with the difficulties of our journey 
up the river and over the mountains, had well prepared 
us for appreciating the Christian custom of washing of feet 
attended to on this occasion by our brother Reed. Our 
heart was touched. We thought we saw in the faith and 
manners of this disciple both the principles and practice of 
our own dear Redeemer, and we made no effort to restrain 
our tears. We were both silent, but we both wept. 

"In the afternoon we had an introduction to the two other 
elders, brethren Austen and Dungan, with many others. 
Great, indeed, was the brotherly kindness tendered me by the 
elders of this dear congregation — not in word and courtesy 
alone, but in truth and in very deed. We felt at first what 
we learned at last, that we had a home in every heart and 
in every house of the rich and the poor together. ' ' 

From New York he returned by the way of Phila- 
delphia and Baltimore, and the effect of his visit may 
be gathered from a letter from the church at the latter 
place to the church at Carthage, where he resided. 

"To the Saints and Faithful Brethren in Christ Jesus at 
Carthage, Ohio, the congregation of Baltimore wisheth 
peace : 
" Brethren : The bearer being about to return home, we 
conceive it due to him and to you, agreeably to primitive 
custom, to give him a letter of commendation. We should 
be wanting in the courtesy, gratitude, and affection of the 
gospel did we fail to testify our approbation of the course 
pursued by our brother since he came among us. His de- 
portment, zeal, piety, and devotion are to be highly com- 
mended, inasmuch as they have exerted a sanctifying influ- 
ence upon all who have become acquainted with him here, 



LE TTER FR OM BAL TIMOR E. 393 

and we have the testimony of brethren in Philadelphia and 
New York to the same amount. His affectionate, lucid, 
and venerable manner of presenting the truth has com- 
mended itself to all who heard him, and been very instru- 
mental in disabusing the public mind of certain prejudices 
and errors in reference to some things we believe and prac- 
tice, occasioned by the unskillful and injudicious manner 
of some unwise though honest advocates. His addresses to 
the brethren have exerted a most salutary influence in 
awakening them to that perfection of spirit and character 
by which we must enter the kingdom of God. And now 
we do most cordially commend him to your regard. 
" Signed in behalf of the church. 

" Alex. Reed, ~\ 

' ' George Austen, V Elders. ' ' 

" Francis Dungan, J 

About this time the teachings of Miller and others 
with respect to the second advent were creating great 
excitement, particularly in the West. The second 
appearing of the Son of man was, according to them, 
to take place in 1843 I many sincerely believed it, 
and acted as those who expected to witness that glo- 
rious event. Prominent ministers in nearly all de- 
nominations became interested in the subject, and 
the prophecies in regard to the second advent were 
eagerly and carefully studied. The religious press 
teemed with arguments pro and con, and religious 
society was moved and agitated as it never was be- 
fore in this generation. Mr. Campbell wrote and 
spoke much in regard to the matter, and, without 
committing himself definitely with regard to the time, 
seemed to be under the impression that the world 
was on the eve of some great and wonderful event. 
Mr. Scott, who was of a more excitable temperament, 



394 LIFE OF EIDER WAITER SCOTT. 

entered warmly into the discussion and investigation 
of the subject. The event was so glorious and to 
him so desirable, that many mistook his wishes for 
his convictions in regard to the matter, and he was 
regarded for a season as identified with the Second 
Adventists. He mingled freely with them at their 
meetings and participated in them, and invited emi- 
nent preachers of that faith to Carthage, and afforded 
them every facility for the presentation of their views 
to the people. He did not forget, however, to present 
before them the views of the gospel in which he was 
regarded as peculiar, and this he did so successfully 
that a number of the Second Advent preachers em- 
braced his views of the primitive gospel and publicly 
advocated the same. 

While he was greatly excited and interested by 
the event which was- the great theme of the Ad- 
ventists, he did not seem to be convinced by their 
reasonings with regard to the time at which they 
expected it to take place. The following, from his 
pen, is quite as sensible and pertinent upon this point 
as any thing written at that time : 

" Touching the chronological part of the great question 
of the second coming of Christ, it is impossible that men 
should not have their reflections on this point, and perhaps 
it is equally impossible they should not occasionally hazard 
a thought upon the probable era of its occurrence ; but 
"whether those who dogmatize on the hour, day, or year of 
this illustrious event afford high evidence of superior sagac- 
ity, or are by so doing likely at last to confer any perma- 
nent benefit on true Christianity and the cause of reforma- 
tion, may be deemed extremely problematical. Our Lord 
has said that of that hour knoweth no man; no, not the 



VIE WS ON MIL LERISM. 395 

angels of God ; no, not the Son, but the Father only. 
This, however, was uttered, as the advocates for a particular 
date sagely observe, eighteen hundred years ago, when 
men, and angels, and the Son himself did not enjoy the 
benefit of the superior and increased illuminations of the 
New Testament. It is different with themselves. They 
have all the wisdom of the ancients, and of angels, and 
Christ ; and more, too, they have the New in addition to 
the Old Testament ; they have the apostles in addition to 
the prophets. This, indeed, is one way of accounting for 
their own superior attainments above men, angels, and 
Christ himself; and the argument, it is likely, will go a 
good way to annihilate the scruples of many. But a man 
of prudence will pause before he leaps into the conclusion 
here. He would probably oppose serious objections to 
this argument. Perhaps he would ask, ' Who gave the 
New Testament?' 'Was it not the Son?' 'And if the 
Son gave the New Testament, did he reveal any thing 
there which he himself did not know?' It is important 
to the character of those who have entered upon disciple- 
ship to Christ by obedience to the true gospel, that they 
have their hopes elevated to the appearing of Christ, and 
fixed upon the purity, perfection, and glory of his king- 
dom ; but whether an attempt to accomplish this by appeal- 
ing to an exact and fixed chronology, would not, if suc- 
cessful, be followed by a reaction disastrous to their morals 
and religion, in the event of a disappointment, deserves 
solemn deliberation. For the consideration of all the 
faithful, it ought to be noted that the chronology of the 
New is, in all its important features, precisely that of the Old 
Testament. The chronology of the Revelations is Daniel's 
chronology, and affords no additional light on this part of 
the question touching the appearing and kingdom of Christ. 
Let us, then, who advocate original Christianity, preach to 
the saints for their perfection the second coming of Christ, 



396 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

with all its adjuncts, for its own intrinsic merits, its own 
divine importance alone, and leave the chronological ques- 
tion-where Christ and his apostles left it — that is, let us 
leave it in the moral uncertainty in which they left it, and, 
in the hope of its speedy occurrence, purify ourselves from 
all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, that whether he comes 
at midnight, at cock crowing, or in the morning, we may 
be accounted worthy to stand before him. 

"Mr. Miller affirms that this dreadful catastrophe will 
occur next year — that the present order of things will be 
arrested in its boasted progress in 1843, an d the world 
come to an end. We will not deny this, and dare not 
affirm it ; but we do affirm that, as the moral lies, not in 
the chronology of the event but in the event itself, 
then, whether the Lord comes next year or in the pres- 
ent one, it is our duty to prepare ourselves and our fam- 
ilies for this awfully momentous event. Do we desire 
that our children should go to heaven, that they should 
share in the glory to be revealed? What, then, if it 
should be written on to-morrow's sun, with the pen of 
midnight darkness, that "time should be no longer." 
Have you, reader, any rational or scriptural assurance that 
the Lord will accept your children with yourself? Were 
the sign of the Son of man now to appear in heaven, 
would you exult ? would you say, ' My redemption draweth 
nigh ?' Where are your deeds of charity? where your acts 
of munificence to the poor? Have you fed his hungry 
ones and given the cup of cold water to his. thirsty saints? 
Have you clothed the naked, visited the sick, and lodged 
the stranger? Or has your obedience been of a positive 
nature rather than a moral one ? Have you only to say, 
'Lord, I have been baptized' — 'I have eaten and drunken 
at thv table!' " 

In 1844, Mr. Scott left Carthage, where he had 
spent some thirteen laborious and useful years, and 



REMOVAL TO PITTSBURG. 397 



• 



returned to Pittsburg, the scene of his early labors. 
Here he published a weekly paper, styled the " Prot- 
estant Unionist," which was well supported and did 
good service, especially in advocating the union of all 
the people of God on the Bible alone as the rule of 
faith and practice. He preached for both the church 
in Pittsburg and for the much larger congregation 
in Alleghany City. He paid much attention also to 
the instruction of a class of young men in biblical 
knowledge, some of whom became able ministers of 
the Word. 

He also, for a considerable length of time, did serv- 
ice as a " colporteur ;" he had heard of the great good 
achieved in Europe, through the agency of the humble 
men who carried the Bible into every hamlet and 
cottage, leaving a copy wherever it was needed, with 
money for it or without price, as the particular case 
required, and reading to those who were unable to 
read the precious truths of the Word of Life ; and the 
example seemed one worthy of imitation and that 
might result in great good. Taking a basket well 
filled with Bibles and Testaments, he visited those 
parts of the two cities most likely to be destitute of 
the Scriptures, and actually found many without a 
copy of the Word of God. All who needed a Bible 
received one, and his experiences at the close of each 
day's labor in this field were interesting in the ex- 
treme. His basket of Bibles served as an introduc- 
tion to professors of every name, and in many fam- 
ilies where the Bible was read and loved he was long 
and lovingly detained ; aged saints were strengthened 
and comforted as he read and commented on the book 
they loved, and the young were delighted and charmed 



39 8 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

with the wondrous conversational eloquence of a man 
who had drunk deep into the Spirit of the Book he 
was striving to circulate. He met with kind treat- 
ment from all classes, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyte- 
rians, and Lutherans ; all bade him God-speed, and 
gave him a warm welcome whenever he came back ; 
and had the history of the events of those days been 
preserved, it would have formed one of the most de- 
lightful chapters in his eventful life. 

He met with some reverses of fortune about this 
time, but they were regarded as light, as he never had 
much to lose, and never set his heart upon what he 
had. • The chief of these losses was by the great fire 
in 1845, which was somewhat against him by delaying 
the issue of his paper, which, however, he was soon 
able to resume. An account of that terrible confla- 
gration was given in an "extra" of the "Protestant 
Unionist," which we subjoin : 

"TERRIBLE VISITATION. 

"Like the broad river whose silent flow renders us in- 
sensible to the sources whence it derives its waters,, the 
ordinary providences of God are so mild and equable that 
they frequently lull us to repose, and fail to make us feel 
that the Most High either pervades them with his presence 
or controls them by his power. It is when his judgments, 
like the mountain torrent, come ' rushing amain down,' 
that man is made sensibly alive to his glory. If night 
shines forth in unsullied beauty — calm, broad, and glorious, 
mortals rightfully indeed, but thoughtlessly alas ! embrace 
its sacred repose, and softly dream away the lee-long night ; 
but if the Eternal pitch his tent in the heavens ; if he make 
his pavilion round about him dark waters and thick clouds 
of the sky ; if he flies upon the wings of the wind, and the 



TERRIBLE VISITATION. 399 

stars are the dust of his feet, men are wakeful, they tremble 
and are afraid, and confess a present God. When Morn 
enthrones herself on the brow of heaven, arrayed in glory 
and beauty, heralded by the throng of woodland voices, 
fanned by scented breezes, her feer washed in the dews of 
night ; when Flora scatters her path with flowers, and the 
whole earth is responsive to her all-cheerful voice, mortals 
are entranced with the beauty and sublimity of nature. 
But does she come on in clouds and storms? Does she array 
herself in bickering lightnings, and speak to the nations in 
peals of thunder ? then men stand aghast, they are aroused, 
and lose their sense of the sublime and beautiful in their 
reverence for Him 

' Who rules the whirlwind and directs the storm.' 

" When the ordinary business of society proceeds 
apace, calm and unbroken, men silently systematize their 
plans of life and schemes of business ; they gradually be- 
come proud, imperious, and unfeeling. But let the gen- 
eral order of life be suddenly interrupted by some great 
calamity ; let the fountains of the great deep of trade and 
commerce be rudely and forcibly broken up ; then men 
perceive that God's judgments are abroad in the earth, and 
they learn righteousness ; the sympathies of society are 
restored and generalized ; the storm is passed ; men are 
refreshed ; they resolve henceforth to live more according 
to nature ; they reform their plans ; they do justice, love 
mercy, and walk humbly with God. 

" These moralizings are preliminary to recording one of 
the most calamitous and fearful conflagrations that ever in- 
vaded the streets of any city. One fourth of Pittsburg is 
a heap of ruins — absolutely consumed by fire, so that, with 
one of old, we may say, ' Behold and see, all ye that pass 
by, whether 'there be any sorrow like unto our sorrow 
wherewith the Lord hath afflicted us in the day of his 



4CO LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

fierce anger.' Almost sixty broad acres of our dear city 
have become a wilderness, in which nothing is beheld but 
stacks of chimneys, shattered colonnades,, pillars of black- 
ened stone, unshapely fragments of ruined workshops and 
overthrown factories, the leaning relics of ruined temples, 
edifices, and public buildings, now, alas ! no more ! 

" The field of this mighty devastation lies in the form 
of an isosceles triangle, the Monongahela River, for more 
than a mile in extent, constituting the base, and the other 
two sides, commencing at the two extremes of this line, 
running diagonally into the heart of the city, and meeting 
in a common point somewhere near the court-house. The 
vast area embraced in this regular figure is said to have 
included 12 or 1500 houses and public edifices, not one of 
which is left unconsumed. All are reduced to indistin- 
guishable ruin — overthrown, broken down to the ground, 
burnt to ashes. 

" Ferry Street commences at the Monongahela River, and 
extends thence in a direction toward the Alleghany River. 
It was near the Monongahela terminus of Ferry Street the 
great conflagration commenced. It is ascertained to have 
originated in an ice-house, whence in the lapse of a few 
hours it spread its destructive flames with fearful effect over 
the whole immense area already described. 

" We could wish to communicate to the readers of the 
1 Protestant Unionist ' some adequate idea of the whole ex- 
traordinary scene, and of some points in it in particular, 
but our faculties are unequal to the task. . The broad acres, 
as they were convulsed by the fiery deluge and swept by 
the whirlwind of flame, presented a scene so vast and awful, 
and in some points so inconceivably grand and terrific, as 
to defy all our feeble powers of description. The ocean 
of tumult and fire would have supplied matters and marvels 
for the faculties of Dante or Milton. At first vigorously 
opposed, repressed, and hemmed in by the efforts of the 
firemen, the conflagration progressed but slowly, but at one 



TERRIBLE VISITATION. \< . 

o'clock the wind, veering round two points against the 
city, and, arming itself with the strength and fury of a 
tempest, spread the fire abroad with amazing rapidity, and, 
by inflamed shingles, fagots, and burning fragments of win- 
dows, doors, and casings, inoculated with the burning con- 
tagion every thing within the precincts already described ! 
Let the reader imagine what a flood of fire that must have 
been whose fuel was supplied with all that was combustible 
in 1 200 houses, offices, temples, workshops, academies, 
universities, market-places, and manufactories ! Then it 
was the affrighted populace might be seen fleeing from 
their inflamed vicinities like a flock of sheep, happy to out- 
strip the fiery storm that pursued them, and consumed with- 
out remorse all they owned of earthly goods ! Hundreds 
were beggared in an hour ! ' O Lord, thou art our Father ; 
we are the clay, thou art the potter ; we are all the work of 
thy hand. Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remem- 
ber iniquity forever ; behold, see, we beseech thee, we are 
all thy people.' 

" The burning of Mr. Bakewell's glass-house was a splen* 
did and affecting scene in the drama of the great conflagra- 
tion ; but the Monongahela House, as it passed through the 
fiery ordeal, presented to the eye and the feelings the most 
awful and exciting spectacle. We beheld the destruction 
of this great ornament of our city with lively anguish. It 
was five stories, and extended in breadth across an entire 
square. The flying fagots first seized upon the wood casing 
of the brass cupola with which the building was surmounted. 
In fifteen minutes it flamed like a Pharos on the lofty pile, 
then burning shingles struck against the eaves of the build- 
ing, which kindled with amazing rapidity, and the house 
forthwith was corniced with fire. In ten minutes more, 
flames began to ascend from the roof. The windows 
burned, and burst, and broke. The flames were speedily 
seen devouring the interior ; they seized upon the doors 
and floors, the internal casings, and all the various articles 
34 



402 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

of furniture with which this spacious hotel was enriched. 
The most tempestuous conflagration now pervaded the en- 
tire house ; and while the interior raged like a volcano, the 
west corner and west side were lashed with unequaled fury 
by flames from the adjacent warehouses ; the whole edifice 
trembled to its foundation ; its floors sunk, its doors and 
windows vanished like a dream; its walls fell, and in an 
amazing brief space of time it came forth from the terrible 
ordeal the unshapely ruin which is now seen where the 
once celebrated Monongahela House so lately reared its 
head. The Lord have mercy upon us. It was a fearful 
sight to behold ! We are mortals of a day. 

"We never before witnessed any spectacle so extraor- 
dinary as the conflagration of the Monongahela bridge. A 
few fagots first dropped upon the roof of the structure at 
the end of the bridge next the city ; they burnt through 
it in a moment, and falling, with other inflamed matter, 
upon the immense quantities of furniture which had been 
thrust into the bridge for safety, fired them instantly. 
This caused a great and sudden expansion, and the bridge 
became a vast funnel, through which the streaming atmos- 
phere roared with the noise of thunder. It must be remem- 
bered, however, that all the phenomena here were short- 
lived truly, for the whole affair was over in twelve minutes ! 
A leader of smoke without, preceded by a train of fire 
within, ran along the eaves of the structure and in its 
course fired the whole length of the bridge. It crossed 
the river in seven and a half minutes. The floor of the 
bridge now poured downward toward the surface of the 
water a vast volume of dark, black smoke. This the winds 
turned upward under the bridge, so that the whole inflamed 
fabric seemed to rest upon this as a basis ; and while the 
entire frame, yet unbroken, glowed with scarlet brightness, 
it seemed some aerial machine panting to ascend on its 
black yet gracefully fashioned basis of cloud to some des- 
tined ethereal port in the heavens. But lo ! in a moment all 



TERRIBLE VISITATION. 403 

the phenomena are reversed, changed ; the scarlet weather- 
boarding and the roof are for an instant powdered over 
with white ashes, the whole is then convulsed suddenly and 
bursts like a bubble; then the timbers crack and break, 
and the flaming arches in quick succession and with fearful 
combustion descend in horrid ruin to the bosom of the 
river. 'O Lord, all our righteousness is as filthy rags, and 
we do all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, 
have carried us away.' 'Have mercy upon us, O Lord, 
have mercy upon us, for we are weak. ' 

"But while we have seen the monuments of our civic 
greatness yield in succession to the devouring flame; while 
we have witnessed much of what was magnificent, beauti- 
ful, and excellent in our city reduced to ashes ; while we 
have beheld banks, offices, churches, academies, and what- 
ever commanded the admiration of foreigners, or formed 
objects of just satisfaction to our own citizens, consumed 
by fire, much is there, nevertheless, in the whole calamity 
to excite our gratitude. Very few lives have been lost ; 
much sympathy has been excited in behalf of the sufferers, 
and a new and vast field has been opened for the liber- 
ality, love, and best feelings of the philanthropist and the 
Christian. Let it not be with us, as with those of whom 
it is said, 'They repented not to give him glory. 1 'Let us 
humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and he 
will exalt us in due time.' Let us take with us words and 
come and say, 'Take away our iniquities and receive us 
graciously ; heal our backslidings and love us freely. ' And 
the Lord will be to us 'as the dew.' We shall 'grow as 
the lily,', and shall 'cast forth our roots as Lebanon.' The 
Lord grant that all our citizens may hear, and fear, and 
rely upon the Lord, and make him their fear forever!" 



404 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



Chosen Elder of the Alleghany Church — Extracts from his Diary at this 
period — Marriage of two of his children — Death of his wife. 



IN addition to all the labors we have mentioned, 
others were added ; after being a few years in the 
city he was chosen as bishop or elder of the Alle- 
ghany Church, which imposed upon him the new 
cares and duties growing out of the oversight of the 
flock. For those duties he was admirably fitted ; few 
men ever took a more sympathetic heart into the 
house of mourning than he, or ministered more ten- 
derly to broken hearts the consolations of the gospel 
of peace. He well knew, too, how to deal with the 
erring, and he was greatly successful in bringing back 
to the fold the wanderers that had strayed. His heart 
was in his work, and this made it pleasure rather 
than toil. 

A few pages of a diary kept by Elder Scott at this 
period has fallen into my hands, which will give the 
reader a clearer insight into both his inner and out- 
ward life than any other hand could sketch ; and it is 
only to be regretted that so brief a record remains of 
a life so useful and eventful. In perusing these daily 
jottings, the reader can not fail to be impressed by 
the devout spirit which he manifested, and the earnest 
purpose by which he was animated. His first entry 
is dated Friday, Dec. 1, 1848: 



EXTRACTS FROM HIS DIARY. 405 

" The first day of my eldership. Studied, wrote, and 
walked tPthe top of the hill north. This is a great exer- 
cise for the lungs and limbs, yet a small price for the rest 
and fresh air with which it is rewarded at the summit of 
the hill. It is like ascending to paradise. We breathe a 
more vigorous atmosphere and see all around the innumer- 
able hills that form the main features of the country. 

" In ascending, we rise from the idea of man's weakness 
into that of God's power; we ascend from the restlessness 
of the finite to the tranquillity of the infinite. On the hill- 
top I felt myself with God. The wind was from the 
north,' keen, cold, and refreshing — the sky covered with 
leaden black clouds, with the sun now and then gleaming 
through them with a wintry flush. 

" In the valley below, with the three rivers streaming 
through it 'like a giant's blood,' lay the two cities. The 
fresh north wind carried the smoke from a thousand chim- 
neys gracefully toward the Ohio, and laid it in a black, un- 
lovely mass upon the Coal Hill side. Began my descent 
running, and continued it the whole length of the hill 
downwards, every muscle of my limbs and body aching in 
response to the powerful test to which their strength and 
elasticity were put by the exercise. 

"Sought to reclaim an erring brother. Visited another 
in reference to a family Bible. Spent the night in study. 

"Lord's Day, Dec. 3, 1848.. 

" The great festival — God's great festival ; the best of all 
the seven. What a delight is the Lord's day ! Crowded 
with the grand deeds of Christ — his death, resurrection, 
and ascension to heaven — it awakens in the soul all the 
resplendent recollections of the kingdom of God. What 
themes does" it afford for meditation and eloquence ! 

"I spoke 'On Christ as the Son of God, with power, 
authority, and salvation.' A grand topic — Matt. 14th chap. 
One accession by baptism, and another by repentance and 



406 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

confession. The congregation was good, but not over- 
flowing. In the afternoon, under the solemn glfcness of 
the Lord's Supper, we had the reception of the two new 
members, and the kind greeting and shaking of hands of 
the brethren usual on the occasion. The Disciples were 
filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. The day closed 
with a sermon by Dr. Slosson, during which I slept as 
sound as a top, and was awakened, to my shame be it 
spoken, only by the doctor himself, whom I found, to my 
astonishment on awaking, sitting by my side. But this came 
of my restless and fitful sleep of the preceding night. 

"Monday, Dec. 4, 1848. 

" Studied Bell's Anatomy. What a marvel of mechan- 
ism is the human skeleton ! The first dash of this great 
master's pen excited my admiration and fired my enthusi- 
asm. ' The spine,' he says, 'is the center of muscular 
motion, and the part of most common relation in the sys- 
tem.' How elegant ! By this beautiful truth the mind is 
carried at once down to the deepest and most fundamental 
thought in anatomical science. 

"With firm, elastic tread I marched to the mountain, 
and felt that I had reached the summit without requiring, 
either for. limb or lung, a single halt. Then again, I en- 
joyed the feast of a hundred hills, all lying in the quietude 
of the Infinite, who had formed them a feature of his own 
power. For a moment I retreated to the back of the 
mountain, that I might enjoy the sweets of solitude, thatT 
might hold converse for a moment with the great senti- 
ment of power that impressed itself on the surrounding 
scene. We are the architects of our own character as we 
are of our own fortune ; I felt that the man who would 
ascend into the serenity of the Infinite must hold converse 
with the Infinite, the sublime, the boundless. Astronomy 
must be nearly allied to grandeur of character. The study 



EXTRA CTS FR OM HIS DIAR Y. 407 

of the stars and the silent, boundless heavens, must be very- 
favorable to the growth of the higher virtues of silence, 
quietude, peace, tranquillity, awe, reverence, and devotion. 

1 'With the multitude of hills lying all around me, I 
could not but lift up my hat as being in the presence of 
God. ' Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God 
Almighty; just and true are thy ways, O King of saints.' 
Involuntarily I repeated that inimitable inspiration — the 
34th Psalm : ' I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise 
shall be continually in my mouth.' 

"This is the psalm that the pious Boardman, first hus- 
band of the second Mrs. Judson, directed his sweet wife to 
read to him the night before his death in a far distant land. 
Alas ! the thought stirs my soul to divine and melancholy 
sympathy. ' This poor man cried, and the Lord heard 
him, and delivered him from all his fears.' Ps. xxxiv. 

" The wind was direct from the north and laid the smoke 
of the two cities in an unshapely black mass against the 
Coal Hill south. A slight rain came up ; clouds covered 
the heavens ; the day was damp, dark* and drizzly. The 
noise of the city, very audible, ascended from below like 
the noise of a host preparing for battle. I descended run- 
ning; the entire length of the hill did not exhaust me.' 
My mouth and muscles, my limbs and lungs stood it ad- 
mirably. Made twenty or thirty calls. Had some talk 
both with Irish Catholics and Scotch Presbyterians. 

"December 5th, 1848. 
" Called on a few families; promised a Bible and Testa- 
ment to a poor black woman. Saw a young wife, who, 
with her husband, said they were Baptists, and from Eng- 
land ; six months only in this country and as yet had 
joined no religious community. Spoke with a family touch- 
ing a family Bible, and with an acquaintance, an alien, of 
giving us a hearing. 



408 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

"December 6th. 
"Called on the black woman with the Bible and Testa- 
ment I had promised yesterday. For the former I was to 
receive twenty-five cents ; but on asking the woman of the 
welfare of he/ husband, she told me he was sick ; that he 
was a Baptist, and a preacher. I could not think of taking 
the price of the book from her, and so gave the Bible to 
her, and the Testament to her little daughter. May God 
bless them both, to the mother and the child. Called on 
a Cumberland Presbyterian, and conversed with the mother 
of the family. This is always interesting. Since I came 
to have a family myself, conversation with mothers is, I 
feel, more interesting to me than with daughters. Spent 
almost the entire day hunting up the flock. Had several 
opportunities of fireside preaching. May God water what 
I planted ! Are the public or private labors of a pastor 
the most prolific of good ? Or can the elder of a church 
achieve more by his private or public labors ? Public and 
private labor do form but the two parts of one rule for evan- 
gelizing the world. As it is said the apostles labored ' pub- 
licly and from house to house,' but as things which God has 
joined together man oftentimes thrust asunder, and as min- 
isters who work well in public, divorce from this the love 
which is due from them to their flock in private, it may be 
well to consider the comparative value of public and private 
labor in religion. The purposes of the church are either 
subjective or objective, as the Germans would say. For 
they either respect her own perfection or the world's con- 
version. Touching the church's perfection, a minister may 
publicly say every thing that can be said on the subject of 
the personal and family piety of the members, and yet 
neither advance the thing one step r or know the true state 
of the case in regard to any of them. Practice and theory, 
action and eloquence are different things. A pastoral visit 
discovers the sore and enables the shepherd to put his 
finger on it on the spot. Publicly, a minister can say 



EXTRA C TS FR OM HIS DIA R Y. 409 

more, but do less. Privately, his field is narrowed down 
to the smallest possible dimensions, and, with the power 
brought thus near to the machinery, he acts with the great- 
est possible effect. 

"December 8, 1848. 
" The wintry appearance of the country to-day was very 
striking ; the brown fields and blackened forests, the dis- 
robed orchards and desolated gardens looked sad. A flock 
of pigeons sported in the blustering wind over a cornfield, 
and seemed delighted with their fortune. How delightful 
would it be if men, like birds, could ascend for refreshment 
into the heavens ! * But the heavens, even the heaven of 
heavens, are the Lord's.' The earth hath he given to the 
children of men. Made a number of calls. Saw Sister 

C , who informed me that her husband had died the 

last month, and left her with seven children. It was a sore 

case. Gave her , for which she seemed exceedingly 

thankful. 

"Lord's Day, Dec. 10, 1848. 
"The rain cloud covered the heavens, the weather 
gloomy and wet. The congregation on that account thin. 
Spoke upon our blessed Lord as the ' Faithful and True 
Witness.' Rev. 3d chap. It was a happy theme, and I 
had an abundant enlargement and spoke the Word of the 
Lord boldly. In a preliminary — brief, and perhaps beau- 
tiful — spoke of nature and religion as witnesses for God. 
Touching nature, as testifying for the Divine existence, 
showed that David (19th Psalm), and Galileo, philosophy 
and religion, science and the Scriptures concurred ; that 
from the atom to the archangel nature said there was a 
God, and that his natural attributes were power, unlimited 
power, immensity, wisdom, and benevolence. But while, 
as Paul expresses it, the invisible attributes of the Godhead 
are clearly seen in the things that are seen, the details of 
creation were entirely mute in regard to some of God's 
35 



4IO LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

moral attributes ; his mercy, justice, and compassion for man 
as he is. Religion supplies what is wanted here, and testifies 
of the mercy and justice of God and his disposition toward 
man as he is — fallen, sinful, forlorn, ruined. 

" On the front of the canvass of religion stands our Lord 
Jesus Christ, distinguished as the faithful and true witness 
to the divine nature in the points above stated. He testi- 
fies in behalf of God, against the world and against the 
church. He is a witness because he testifies — a true wit- 
ness, because all things whatsoever he heard of the Father 
he has made known to us — the truth, the whole truth, and 
nothing but the truth ; and he is a faithful witness, because 
he maintained the truth of his.testimony to the death, and 
sealed it with his blood. 

" i st. His testimony in behalf of the Divine nature is 
chiefly accumulated on two points : 

" i st. That God loved man as he is. 

" 2d. That he loved justice more ; and, as proof of this, 
seeing nothing else would do, he sent his Son into this 
wretched world to redeem it. His testimony against the 
world also converged to two points — that it was, 

" 1 st. In a state of sin, 

" 2d. And would be punished. 

" So also of his testimony against the church ; that her 
leaders, the Scribes and Pharisees, had 

" 1st. Corrupted the law; and, ' 

".2d. Rejected the gospel. 

"Improvement. 

"In witnessing for God and against the church and the 
world, we were to imitate him, and meet men precisely at 
the point where they set themselves in practical opposition 
to God and religion. To do this, was to be a true witness, 
and to do it at the hazard of our life and reputation, was to 
be a faithful witness. 



EXTRA CTS FR OM HIS DIAR Y. 4 1 1 

" In the afternoon, we had heaven upon earth ; that is, 
we had the Lord's Supper. 

"Lord's Day, Dec. 17, 1848. 

"In the afternoon, partook of the Lord's Supper with 
the brotherhood. ■ It is usual for me or my colleague Bro. 
Church to call on one of the brethren, to address the 
church at this solemn moment, but I do not approve of it; 
experience is against the custom, for I never can perceive 
that one of all who are invited to speak on the occasion sym- 
pathize with it, or are equal to it. They preach about every 
thing and any thing that is uppermost in their mind, and 
that is never the Supper. This is incongruous, and to me 
exceedingly annoying. Would they take Gethsemane, or 
the house of the high priest, or that of Caiaphas, or Pilate's 
bar, or the Pretorium, or the balcony * Ecce Homo,' or the 
nailing him to the cross and his elevation on that accursed 
tree, or his groans, and cries, or death, or burial, or resur- 
rection, or the nature of the Supper as a memorial of his 
death, or its peculiar attribute, or its character as the symbol 
of union among the brethren, or any other of its meanings, 
either figurative or literal, they would at least proceed dec- 
orously and in unison with the occasion ; but this is seldom 
or never done. 

" The last and latest hours of this blessed evening were 
spent with my wife in reading, and in weeping over the 
piety, genius, and sufferings of the second Mrs. Judson, of 
Tavoy, India, as portrayed by her who has succeeded to 
the arms and affections of her eminent husband, Adoniram 
Judson, of Maulmain. 

"December 19, 1848. 
"In my descent from the mountain this morning, was 
saluted by Mother Thompson, who informed me both of 
Mrs. S 's residence and her own. She is a widow. 



412 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

I have already obtained the names of twenty-four widows, 
all members of the congregation. What a field for the 
Christian philanthropist is this ! 

"December 25, 1848. 
"How sweet to give the first-fruits of our waking mo- 
ments to God ! How blessed to receive a Christmas gift 
from him ! The blessing of the Lord maketh rich and 
addeth no sorrow. Attended my theological class ; greatly 
surprised by the students, who acquitted themselves beyond 
all expectation. In the four gospels, we see our religion 
founded ; in the Acts, we see it organized ; in the epistles, 
we see the church's pastoral superintendence ; and in the 
Revelations, we see her apostatized. 

"December 26th. 
"Spent the evening with a Christian brother. A visit 
for religious purposes, if discreetly made, is as delightful 
as it is profitable to the parties. But the visit should, if 
possible, be strictly religious, and the sacred always be 
made to predominate over the secular. 

"Lord's Day, Dec. 31, 1848. 
" This was a day rich in all grand things. In the morn- 
ing, Bro. B , Agent of the Society for Converting the 

Jews, preached on this subject, and took the ground that 
the gospel was to be preached to the Jews first, and that 
the mass of the heathen world would not be restored to 
God by the preaching of the gospel until Israel should be 
saved. Bro. Church followed in a few remarks, very much 
to the purpose, in which he justified the ground which had 
been assumed in the sermon. I closed by a few words on 
the joy of Israel when these things should have been ac- 
complished. The afternoon was heavenly and divine. Oh ! 
the blessedness of the heavenly ordinance of the Lord's 
Supper. What a feast — it is fat things, truly — wine upon 



MARRIA GE OF TWO OF HIS CHILD REN. 4 1 3 

the lees well refined. Bro. Church preached in the even- 
ing. The discourse was upon Romans 8th chap. Very 
fine — pious, practical, enlightened." 

The preceding extracts are all from the same month, 
and yet what a rich variety of thought, feeling, and 
action do they present ! His love of nature, which 
ever led him up to nature's God ; his deep devotion, 
his earnest practical religion, seen in visiting the 
fatherless and widows in their affliction ; his careful 
study of God's Word ; devotion to the class of young 
men to whom he was unfolding the Scriptures ; and 
the abundance of his public and private labors ; all of 
which show that he permitted no day to pass without 
its good deed. Had this diary been continued, what 
a rich legacy of Christian example, instruction, and 
effort it would have been ! But a record of it has 
been kept that will be imperishable. 

In the midst of these his abundant labors, how- 
ever, he was very happy ; and the few years spent at 
this period in Pittsburg were, doubtless, the happiest 
of his life. He enjoyed greatly the society of his son in 
the faith, Elder Samuel Church, under whose labors a 
large and influential congregation had been gathered. 
Their intimacy had been life-long, and grew with 
each succeeding year, and the attachment they had 
for each other was cemented during these years by 
the union of their families — Mr. Scott's eldest son 
John marrying Mary, Elder Church's eldest daughter, 
and Mr. Church's eldest son William being united to 
Emily, Mr. Scott's eldest and only surviving daughter. 
Happy in seeing his children settled in life, happy in 
useful and successful labor, happy in seeing the cause 



414 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

to which he had given the energies of his life pros- 
pering beyond all that he had hoped, he had reason 
for gratitude and devout thanksgiving. For a great 
portion of his life he could truthfully sing : 

" No foot of land do I possess, 
Nor cottage in this wilderness, — 
A poor wayfaring man." 

He went on his way toiling, sorrowing, yet rejoicing, 
and could truly, amid all the changes of his lot, say : 

" Yonder 's my house and portion fair, 
My treasure and my heart are there, 
And my abiding home." 

He found by experience and observation that the 
fewer earthly cares and anxieties a preacher of the 
gospel had, the better it was for him and for the cause 
in which he was engaged. He saw that riches often 
drew the heart away from God, and therefore he 
neither strove after wealth nor repined at his lot. 
One very happy result of his narrow circumstances 
was, that his children, at an early period, became self- 
reliant and self-supporting, and the fact that all of 
them have been, in a greater or less degree, success- 
ful in life may be attributed to the stern yet useful 
discipline of their early years. As already intimated, 
this period of his life was doubtless the happiest he 
ever enjoyed. Relieved, in a great measure, of a 
parent's anxiety by seeing his children settled and 
their prospects cheering, he doubtless expected that 
he and she who for more than a quarter of a century 
had been his faithful companion would quietly de- 
scend together the western slope of life, and, as they 
had cheered each other in the steep ascent, so they 



THE DEA TH OF HIS WIFE. 4 1 5 

would comfort each other as they went down the de 
clivity, and, in the words of the old song, not sepa- 
rated by a long interval, they would " sleep together 
at the foot." But this was not to be ; the great sor- 
row of his life was at hand, his beloved wife was taken 
away, and his heart and home were left desolate. This 
sad event took place on the 28th of April, 1849, and 
was made the subject of the following tender and dig- 
nified notice by her sorely stricken husband, in the 
next issue of his paper : 

"The death of this excellent woman was sudden and 
unexpected, but never, perhaps, did mortal breathe out 
her spirit in holier tranquillity. After death, her features 
were composed into a heavenly sweetness, so that it 
seemed as if he who separated her soul from all that 
was mortal left behind him evident traces of his divine 
presence on the solemn occasion. Her history may soon 
be told. She belonged to families who were among the 
first settlers of Westmoreland County, Penn.* where many 
of her relations still live. She gave her hand in mar- 
riage in 1823, and in 1827 accompanied her husband to 
the Western Reserve, Ohio, where she witnessed, during 
the years 1827, '28, '29, '30, thousands gathered unto 
the fold of God, and where she participated in the joys 
and sorrows of that deeply interesting period. During 
her long stay in Carthage, Hamilton County, Ohio, she 
made many acquaintances among the. people of God, of 
whom hundreds, yea, thousands, partook of the hospi- 
tality of her roof and board. The difficulties to which 
the infantile state of the connection subjected our labor- 
ers during the last twenty-two years, were known to her 
perhaps more than any other woman, but she still hoped 
on, and greatly animated her husband to persevere when 
these difficulties had well-nigh overcome his faith. She 



416 



LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 



has raised for the Most High 'a godly seed/ and her 
husband, the best earthly witness — who feels that in her 
death the center of feeling and affection, and of moral 
and religious influence, is smitten down in the family — ■ 
testifies that she was the best of wives, the tenderest of 
mothers, and the most faithful of friends — a Christian in 
faith, and works, and charity." 



ESS A Y ON CHRISTIAN UNION. 4 1 7 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

Admirable Essay on Christian Union — Encomiums bestowed upon it — 
Visits Bethany — Death of Samuel Church — Letters. 

WHEN the sad bereavement just noticed took 
place, Mr. Scott was something over fifty years 
of age, and in this, the autumn time of his life, the 
fruitfulness of which its spring time and summer time 
gave such rich promise was npt wanting. His powers 
at this time were in their full maturity, and his sor- 
row gave a mellowness and tenderness to his thoughts 
which they had not possessed before. The thought 
that the shadows of evening were drawing near doubt- 
less led him to think of the night not far distant, and 
of the necessity for working while it was " called to- 
day," and the result was a girding himself for the best 
labors of an active and useful life. His plea for a 
return to the example of the apostles in presenting 
the message of life and salvation to dying men, had 
been eminently successful ; thousands of converts 
were made every year, giving ample demonstration 
that "the gospel was indeed the power of God unto 
salvation to every one that believeth," and that " the 
law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul ;" and 
the faith grew strong in his heart that the truth of 
God, which had wrought so mightily in the conver- 
sion of sinners, would be the instrumentality through 



4i8 



LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SC0T7\ 



which would be accomplished that union of his people 
for which the Savior when on earth had prayed. 

In order to promote a work so desirable, it became 
needful to show the origin of the evil of division as 
the first step toward a remedy. This he set forth by 
saying " that people handle the Christian religion as 
unscrupulously as if it were left to them by God to 
perfect its structure. The ancients tell the story of a 
painter who wished to please every body, and, having 
put his picture in a public part of the city, with a 
brush at hand, he left directions for every one to 
make such alterations in the painting as pleased him- 
self. When the artist returned, he found the picture 
in such a state by touching and retouching, that he 
did not know it ! Men think that the chief work of 
God, the great portrait of Christianity, ^is left in our 
streets to be improved and to be made what they 
would have it to be." The diversity of the different 
religious parties, and the contradictions of the various 
creeds, fully justified the striking figure which he em- 
ployed ; the existence of various creeds and parties 
was a practical denial of the right of the One Law- 
giver to legislate for his own church, or, what was 
equally injurious, to assume that he had failed to 
make the needed laws and left that work to his erring 
creatures. Mr. Scott clearly perceived that human 
legislation, in matters pertaining to the church of 
Christ was a fatal mistake ; that for union and har- 
mony to be secured and preserved, the King himself 
must make the laws and the church administer them 
and be governed by them. To found the church and 
give no law for its guidance, to him seemed as great 
a defect as it would have been for the Creator to 



ESS A Y ON CHRISTIAN UNION 419 

have left our world without a sun. To correct, as far 
as lay in his power, the evils of division, and present 
a firm basis for the union of all the people of God, 
became now an all-engrossing thought, and resulted 
in a tract of over one hundred pages, in which the 
subject was handled with a force and felicity which 
have seldom been equalled. 

He sets out with the proposition that " Christianity 
stands on a basis of reality, an organic truth, a creed, 
a something to believed in order to salvation," and 
supports it by saying : " On a contrary supposition, 
our religion would be without a constitutional truth, 
not deserving to be ranked among systems. With- 
out an essential element, it would be like a watch 
without a spring, or a clock without the weights, or 
like the law of Moses divested of the central or per- 
vading thought of the divine unity ; it would be an 
assemblage of inoperative elements. Every system 
of true religion, as much as every system of physics 
and morals, must stand on some basis of reality. 
Christianity is a system of true religion, therefore 
Christianity must stand upon some basis of reality. 
It must have a creed, a master truth, an article of faith, 
to be offered to men for their salvation," and then adds : 
"This truth of the Christian system is enunciated in 
the form of a proposition — namely, that Jesus Christ 
is the Messiah, the Son of the living God." He 
shows that by an hearty acceptance of this truth 
men are united to Christ, and that if carried out in 
the life, it will not only bind them to their common 
Lord, but also to each other ; that they will confess 
with their mouth the same Lord, follow his example 
of obedience, trust in his death, wear his name, be 



420 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

guided by his word, cheered by his promises, and 
hope to be made partakers of his joy. 

With regard to this great truth, the Divinity of 
Christ, which is the alpha and omega of his argu- 
ment, he says : " If, without contemning the other 
crown jewels of the kingdom, I have placed my hand 
upon the diadem ; if I have fully comprehended the 
force of its revolutionary and deeply reformatory 
powers ; if I have held it on high till all its practical 
bearings have been determined, and it has become 
the creed and crown of glory of a great and pious 
people, I have done but my duty. O Lord, the maj- 
esty divine be thine, forever thine !" But it were a 
vain attempt to give a proper idea of the work by 
short extracts ; one might as well strive to portray 
the ocean in its various moods upon a few inches of 
canvas. Some conception of its merits, however, 
may be gathered from the impression it made on 
some well qualified to judge, both with regard to its 
religious worth and literary excellence. An able 
writer among the Baptists said of it that it was from 
"the practiced pen of Walter Scott, to whom the 
voice of righteous celebrity has long since assigned 
a high place in the first rank of gospel ministers," 
and adds : " considered merely as a composition, it 
deserves to be classed among the best specimens of 
English prose from living writers ; its style is vigor- 
ous, chaste, and nervous, occasionally rising into elo- 
quence of the most polished and delicate type." Dr. 
Richardson, himself a polished and graceful writer, 
says : " I regard the performance as the most extraor- 
dinary work of the age in the religious department, 
not only for the logical force with which it evolves 



SECOND MARRIAGE. 42 I 

the great master truth, the Divinity of Christ, but for 
the clearness and energetic beauty of its style and 
the wonderful power of analysis which it displays." 
And A. Campbell, one of the foremost scholars and 
thinkers of this century, said : " It is one of the best 
tracts of the age, and the best on the Divinity of 
Christ that has in forty years' reading come under 
my eye." Higher praise could not have been given 
to it, nothing has since been written to equal it, and 
to surpass it would scarcely be possible. 

This was followed in a short time by another brief 
treatise on the " Death of Christ" scarcely inferior to 
the former one ; full of tenderness and sweetness 
which such a theme could not fail to draw forth from 
a mind and heart like his. 

In the meantime, he married Miss Annie B. Allen, 
of Mayslick, Ky., in 1850, and for some time was at 
the head of a flourishing female academy in Coving- 
ton, Ky. Here his wife, whom he characterizes as 
"a most blessed woman, but inclined to consumption," 
died in 1854 of that insidious disease, leaving one 
daughter, Carrie Allen Scott. The union, though 
short, was a happy one, as his young wife was ex- 
tremely amiable, truly pious, and deeply devoted to 
her husband. Her death caused him to give up the 
academy and to devote himself to evangelical labors, 
which were quite successful, and to the composition 
of the most elaborate work that ever employed 
his pen. 

In the last week of 1855, he paid a visit to Beth- 
any, and his spirit was greatly refreshed. He says he 
was received with the greatest cordiality and hospi- 
tality, and that it would have been impossible for any 



422 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

one to have showed him greater kindness than was 
manifested by Mr. Campbell and family. He re- 
mained there several days, and delivered several ad- 
dresses to the students at the college. Mr. Campbell 
and himself had been engaged in an earnest effort to 
restore primitive Christianity since their early man- 
hood, but now Mr. Scott was about three-score, and 
his fellow-laborer verging upon three-score and ten ; 
together they had borne the heat and burden of the 
day ; they both felt that the evening was at hand 
and their work nearly done ; but when they looked 
at the mighty results which had grown out of their 
united and untiring labors, they could not but be 
grateful to him who had made their lives and labors 
such a blessing to their race. 

Previous to this time, Mr. Scott married his third 
wife, Mrs. Eliza Sandige, of Mason County, Ky., 
where he resided until his death. His faculties at 
this period of his life seemed to have suffered no 
decay ; his form still erect, his hair but slightly 
changed, and the luster of his keen, dark eyes un- 
dimmed ; and, though he felt none of the infirmities 
of age, he could not resist the conviction that when 
the lengthening shadows had grown a little longer he 
would be called to depart. This feeling was deepened 
by the death of many of his old and cherished friends, 
but more than all by the unexpected death of his life- 
long friend and dearly esteemed brother in Christ, Eld. 
Samuel Church, which took place in the city of New 
York on the 7th of December, 1857. Converted by 
Scott more than thirty years before, and their early 
friendship cemented in after years by the marriage of 
their children, the loss was one that was deeply and 



DEATH OF SAMUEL CHURCH. 423 

keenly felt — how deeply, we can best learn from the 
following letter of condolence to his son-in-law and 
daughter soon after the sorrowful event : 

"Mayslick, Dec. .16, 1857. 
" William and Emily : 

" My Very Dear Children : The Lord bless you, the 
Lord comfort you and support you under the news of your 
great loss, of which you will no doubt have been informed 
before this letter reaches you. A communication from 
Bro. Challen, dated the 10th of Dec, informed me of the 
sad fact of the death of your father in New York. He was 
on a visit there, and was in good health and fine spirits, 
but was taken suddenly with inflammation of the stomach 
and bowels. He had an appointment to preach to the 
Disciples, but he was unable to fill it. Dr. Parmley was 
informed of his indisposition, and called upon him at the 
Astor House and offered his services, which, however, were 
not needed, there being a physician in attendance. Next 
day (Monday) Dr. Parmley called again, and found your 
dear father rapidly sinking. He asked the doctor to pray 
with him, and to read the 14th and 17th chapters of John. 
He was greatly refreshed by these exercises, but too weak 
to talk much. He directed Dr. Parmley to place the Bible 
under his pillow; then, looking upward to heaven with a 
steady gaze and a countenance radiant with light and 
glory, he fell asleep in Christ. 

" My children, my dear children, this news has reached 
my inmost soul. How unexpected to all of us ! To your 
mother and you how severe ! But we have a God into 
whose gracious ear we can pour, with the assurance of being 
heard, all our deep sorrows, all our crushing afflictions ; 
and we know that, although the outward and commercial 
life of your father was agitated with great vicissitudes, yet 
his inward and spiritual life was very different ; that it was 
calm, unvarying, meditative, devoted to God, beautiful 



424 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

and holy. Though his death is but one of the millions of 
deaths by which a merciful God is unceasingly speaking to 
mankind, and reminding all of their mortality; yet this 
death speaks to me, and will, I doubt not, to you, in a pe- 
culiar tone. Oh, it seems to bring my last end near to 
me indeed ! for he was as my own flesh and blood, as in- 
deed the whole family are — but he particularly ! He was 
among my first acquaintances in Pittsburg. I immersed 
him with my own hands upward of thirty years ago, and 
he was ever dear, ever lovely to me. During these latter 
years, my children, death has been more familiar to my 
meditations than formerly, for, as we have in us no natural 
instinct of death, and all our impulses are vital and immor- 
tal, I have during much of my life-time imagined I should 
live forever, and have weakly thought ' all men are mortal 
but myself.' I am convinced it is not so. I also must die, 
and the death of Father Church has doubled the rational 
conviction. May the Lord enable us so to live and spend 
this brief life as to be at last deemed worthy to meet our' 
great and good brother and father in the better land 
whither he has gone ! 

" My dear children, be consoled ; commit your sorrows 
to the bosom of your Father in heaven. His ways are 
above our ways, and his thoughts above our thoughts ; but 
he is slow to anger and full of compassion, and so would 
manage us that our souls might not be lost. 1 sympa- 
thize with you in all your trials, afflictions, and privations. 
I ever bear you on my hands and bosom before a merciful 
God, who will not ultimately let pass unanswered the cries 
and tears of an afflicted and heart-broken parent. I live 
in hope to see you in spring or early summer. 

" Accept a father's blessing, dearest children. May 
Almighty God have you all, at all times, in his holy keep- 
ing ; and to his name be all praise. 

" Devotedly and affectionately, your father, 

' ' Walter Scott. ' ' 



THE GREAT DEMONSTRATION. 425 

Soon after this, he completed his work, " The Mes- 
siahship, or the Great Demonstration," his most elab- 
orate effort, and a most fitting close to his literary- 
labors. Other books have been written of which 
Christ was professedly the theme, but in this he was 
really so ; every ray of light from type and symbol, 
prophecy and history, from seer and evangelist, is 
made to converge on the Son of God as the central 
figure ; his nature, offices, and work are brought 
fully to view, until the reader, in rapt adoration, is 
ready to join with martyrs, apostles, and the heav- 
enly host . in their ascriptions of praise, and cry, 
"Crown him Lord of all." Elder A. Campbell 
characterized it as a very interesting, edifying, cheer- 
ing, and fascinating volume. Elder Errett said: 
"Immense labor has been bestowed upon it by one 
of the best minds that God has given us. It sparkles 
and shines all over with the peculiar genius of the 
author." And Prof. Richardson adds : "I have read 
enough of it to see that it abounds in most valuable 
and profound thought, striking analyses, and rich 
development of truth. I am better pleased with it 
the more I examine it. It embraces charming pas- 
sages, revealing deep lessons of human experience 
and divine truth. I thank God that you have been 
enabled to present such a work to the world. In 
view of its sublime and far-reaching revelations, its 
cogent logic, and still more striking analytical divis- 
ions, and just distinctions, the rest of the literature 
of the Reformation seems to me to grow very pale 
and dim." 

His letters at this period show how much his 
mind was occupied with the things of that world 

36 



426 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. ' 

which he was rapidly nearing ; one of them, to his 
eldest son, is as follows : 

"My Deajr. Son: 

"The Lord bless you and your family; the Lord 
make you all a blessing. Your last came to hand last 
evening. What could more rejoice a parent than the 
practical proof which it gives of my children's love for 
each other? In the 133d Psalm, David compares broth- 
erly affection to the inimitable ointment poured on the head 
of Aaron at his inauguration into the priestly office, and to 
the dews of Zion and Hermon. It is where this abounds 
that God commands the blessing of eternal life ! Let it, 
then, abound among my loved ones, my children and my 
children's children, to a thousand generations. I trust I 
may never want a man to stand before God and praise him 
or Christ while the world endures. My dearest son, it is 
becoming strikingly evident that the present life is valu- 
able only as seen related to the life to come. It is, in- 
deed, burdened with mortal endurance, but suffering, like 
all things else, has a grand moral — perfection ; and per- 
fection has its reward — glory. God has opened my eyes 
to see him in every thing ; as the poet says : ' The roll- 
ing year is full of thee.' In what thing is not God to be 
seen ? As a child said, ' Where is he not ?' Oh, it is a 
blessed gift from God — the gift of seeing him in every 
thing. The blessing of being associated forever with a 
single saint, say brother Church, is worth a life-time en- 
durance of all the ills of life ; but what is the fellowship 
of one to all — your mother, your dear blessed mother, and 
myriads like her, full of the love of God and glory all 
around; but what are all saints and all angels to our God, 
our sweet, our dear, our ever precious Redeemer, the Son 
of the great Eternal ? Oh, my son, what love I have for 
them who lpve you ! What love, then, must the great 
God have for them that love his Son ! He will lavish on 



LETTER TO FATHER MORRIS. A 2 7 

them all the riches of eternal life. Let us, then, from gen- 
eration to generation love our Lord Jesus with all our 
heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all 
our strength. Let our family be great in piety, open, 
declared piety, seen and read of all men. Let us succes- 
sively give examples to those whom God raises up by us, 
and grow greater and greater in piety toward God, till we 
shall stand and our descendants shall occupy the chief 
position in the front rank of those who have been heroes 
for God and the cause of our Lord Jesus in the earth. 
Eternal life is worth living for and worth dying for; let 
us labor, then, to enter into eternal life. 

"Affectionately, your father, 

"W. Scott." 

A collection of his letters would be interesting, 
and would open his heart to the reader, but space 
forbids more than the following to an old and useful 
servant of God, who had removed from Mason Co., 
Ky., to Missouri, which shows the current of his 
thoughts : 

"Mayslick, April 2, i860. 
" Father Morris : 

" Very Dear Sir : The Lord bless you and make you 
a blessing ! The Lord have you and all yours in his 
holy keeping ! 

"About one hour ago, it was intimated to me by Wm. 
Burgess, who is just arrived here from his visit to Missouri, 
that you desired to have from under my hand a letter on 
that blessed and great redemption which has so long been 
the life of both our hearts. If it is admitted that you are 
one of my most ancient acquaintances in Kentucky ; that I 
have ever entertained the most solemn respect for your 
godliness, and that excellent and active intellect which the 



428 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

Most High has bestowed upon you ; that I know the depth 
of your affection for the brethren by the vast hospitality 
which you exercised toward them ; and that you held for 
years the government of the church of God in this place, 
with comfort to the Disciples and honor to, yourself, you 
will readily divine why it is that I hasten to meet your 
wishes. 

" i st. To a meditative person like yourself, it must ever 
appear surprising, and indeed mysterious, that man should 
be both condemned and justified, lost and saved, made 
mortal and immortal, by the interposition of two powers 
exterior to his own system— two incarnations, Satan and 
the Messiah. It is evident that the sin of overthrowing 
the paradisaical order did not originate with the mother 
of mankind, but with an evil spirit not belonging to our 
sphere; and it is equally evident that for our great re- 
demption we are indebted to an illustrious personage, 
styled 'the Lord from heaven,' so that sin and righteous- 
ness, justification and condemnation, have their origin in 
the spiritual' spheres, heaven and hell. The center of the 
Adamic system having ceased to have life in himself, it is 
now granted us to renew our life and unity on an eternal 
and new basis, our Lord Jesus Christ, who has life in him- 
self, even as the Father has life in himself. 

'••' 2d. Since the beginning of the world there have been 
five distinct apostasies from the living and true God. 
When men usurp our rights, we protest ; God's rights have 
been invaded by these apostasies; he formally protested 
against this invasion. The apostasies are as follows : 

" i. The Paradisaical — God himself protesting. 

"2. The Antediluvian — Noah protesting. 

"3. The Assyrian, Persian, Greek, and Roman apos- 
tasy- — Moses and Israel protesting. 

" 4. The Jewish — Christ and the apostles protesting. 
5. The Christian apostasy — Luther protesting. 



tt 



LETTER TO FATHER MORRIS. 429 

" In the first or paradisaical apostasy, man would not be 
governed by God. And being made for government, the 
antediluvian apostasy shows that he can not exist in peace 
without it. The imperial or third apostasy shows that he 
can not be governed by emperors and maintain his social 
rights ; the Jews show that he will not be ruled by a deputy 
king, as Saul, David, or Solomon and others ; the fifth and 
last, the Christian apostasy, proves he will not be gov- 
erned by a deputy priest, as the pope, etc. He is, there- 
fore, to be brought back to God by his Son and his saints. 
He would not be governed by God, and he can not gov- 
ern himself; he is, therefore, to be ruled by one who is 
both himself and God— Christ — 'God manifest in the flesh.' 

" The universe is ruled by a compromise. Such are 
the great problems wrought out in history. The Chris- 
tian faith will, therefore, work out in practice its own truth, 
and all impostures and apostasies will work out in history 
their own refutation. 

"3d. The great design of God by the gospel is to bring 
many sons to glory ; but for this grand and glorious design 
Christ never would have appeared, nor God been mani- 
fested in the flesh. The different powers of our nature are 
our animal propensities, our intellectual faculties, and our 
moral sentiments. The involuntary and by far the most 
dangerous of these are our animal propensities. In our 
war, then, with this brute nature, what have we to oppose 
to these propensities ? First, against its blind assaults we 
can array the forces and lights of reason and the intellect- 
ual system. Secondly, against its instincts and impulses 
we can array the practical faculty of the will, with all moral 
forces — self-control, self-respect, duty, honor, and all 
virtue. Thirdly, we have a living and wakeful conscience 
standing sentinel over the whole man, to strike with the 
dagger of remorse all who basely flee or weakly yield to 
the enemy. 



430 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

"Animated, then, by the love of virtue and victory — 
by the desire of pleasing God, and good men, and good 
angels, yea, and our own pure conscience — shall we 
yield to the foe or die at our post ? We will die at our 
post. The Lord being our helper, we will die at our post. 
"Your brother in Christ, 

"Walter Scott." 



ACTIVE TO THE LAST. 43 1 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Deeply concerned at the prospect of Disunion — His argument for 
Union — His great grief at the prevailing troubles. 

THE letter with which the last chapter closes 
was written in the spring of i860, when Scott 
was over three-score ; he was, however, still active, 
still planning deeds of toil and usefulness, and gave 
every indication that he intended the last enemy 
should find him at his post with his armor on. His 
power in the pulpit seemed to be scarcely abated, 
and the productions of his pen possessed much of the 
freshness and vigor of his early days. 

During the thirty years that had passed since he 
first went before the public with his plea for a return 
to the simplicity of the primitive gospel, the Disciples 
from a handful had become a multitude, and the prin- 
ciples for which he had battled so long and well were 
widely spread and firmly established. Every-where 
through the West the results of his labors were ap- 
parent ; and the churches he had established on the 
Western Reserve were exercising a commanding in- 
fluence in the respective communities in which they 
were located, and no reformer of modern times ever 
saw so rich a harvest as did he, from the seed which 
was sown in tears. Many of his converts had become 
able and successful preachers, and though one by one 
his old companions in toil were gathered to their rest, 



432 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

there was every prospect that the work which was 
left to younger hands would be well done. Honor 
and glad welcome now greeted him where persecu- 
tion and misrepresentation had formerly been en- 
countered, and his heart was gladdened by seeing his 
spiritual children walking and rejoicing in the truth. 
When he met with his surviving fellow-laborers, it 
was pleasant to talk of trials past and battles won, 
and almost inspired the wish that youth might be 
renewed, to pass again through the trials it was so 
sweet to remember. An instance of this is related 
by his life-long friend and fellow-laborer Elder James 
Challen. He says: "I met Bro. Scott on Main 
Street, Cincinnati ; he was in quite a meditative 
mood, and was evidently thinking of approaching old 
age and the decay of his powers and the feebleness it 
would bring. I roused him from his reverie by refer- 
ring to the trials and triumphs of the past; when, 
with tears in his eyes, and with touching pathos and 
sublimity, he said : ' Oh, brother Challen, I wish that 
I were young again ; I would fight my way onward 
and upward from the river to the hills.' ' 

But he was not destined to feel the decay of his 
powers, which at such moments he seemed to fear, 
for the end came before his energies gave evidence 
of any great and sad decline, and had that end come 
but a few months sooner he would have escaped one 
of the greatest sorrows that his heart ever felt. This 
great trouble was the sad state of the country which 
soon culminated in disunion and a civil war. 

As already intimated, he was a great lover of Amer- 
ican institutions; under them the human mind had 
freer scope than it had ever enjoyed before ; there 



SAD FOREBODINGS. 433 

were no alliances or entanglements between the 
church and State, no religion established by law ; and 
hence he deemed that Christianity had never enjoyed 
such an opportunity to prove her sovereignty, and he 
cherished the hope that under such favorable circum- 
staoces she would do more than ever in subduing 
mankind to God. These hopes were suddenly and 
rudely dissipated by the rupture between the States 
which followed the election of Abraham Lincoln to 
the Presidency in the fall of i860, and no one felt 
more keenly or deplored more deeply the state of 
things which then prevailed than Elder Scott. 

His sorrow, however, did not unman him, but, on 
the contrary, aroused him to do all in his power, as a 
man and a Christian, to avert the dangers which 
threatened. He wrote and spoke much with regard 
to the state of the country, with great force and elo- 
quence ; and while he was the unswerving friend of 
the Government, he never permitted the Christian to 
be lost in the politician — never gave utterance to an 
unseemly or blood-thirsty expression ; his views of the 
nature of the contest so near at hand were far clearer 
than those of most men of his time ; he loved not 
strife, but he saw that it was inevitable ; he neither 
sought nor desired to be neutral, and he left behind 
him a record that will ever stamp him as a Christian 
patriot. His friends North and South were num- 
bered by tens of thousands, and to them he addressed 
a well considered and carefully written expression of 
his views on the great questions of the hour. This 
essay, called the " Crisis," was publicly read on sev- 
eral occasions, and was warmly approved, but, by a 
policy which was unjust to Scott, it was denied a 

37 



434 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

place on the pages of a periodical which would have 
brought it before thousands of those who knew him 
best, and who would have been most likely to have 
been benefited by his earnest and truthful words. 
It is extremely doubtful whether the matters at issue 
at that time were ever more ably or eloquently set 
forth than in the essay under consideration, and it is 
very certain that those questions were never dis- 
cussed in a better temper and spirit. Nothing of the 
partisan or demagogue appears in it, but a clear head 
and a kind heart are every-where discoverable. The 
document is too long for insertion entire, yet his life 
would be imperfect without some notice of his views 
on a subject of such grave importance, and we there- 
fore give a few of the introductory pages from which 
to judge the whole : 

"Brethren and fellow-citizens : Though as professors 
of the glorious gospel, we may and ought to hold ourselves 
aloof from the defiling influences of party politics, we may 
not with impunity, I apprehend, voluntarily shut our eyes 
and ears on the nature of the political system under which 
we live, and simply because we are Christians remain both 
deaf and blind to its workings for good and for evil. If I 
thought otherwise, certain I am that my convictions would 
receive no support or countenance from the example of our 
great apostle Paul, who, in all his conflicts with his coun- 
trymen and the Gentiles, exhibited a consummate knowl- 
edge of the Roman and Jewish laws under which he lived. 
This is evident in his speeches before the magistrates of 
Philippi, before the Roman captain Lysias," the Jewish high 
priest, Festus, and King Agrippa. 

" Brethren and fellow-citizens : Fraternal ties are being 
sundered, and sundered, I fear, forever. The Northern 



THE CRISIS. 435 

and Southern sections of our illustrious Republic, hitherto 
nurtured, like twin sisters, at the breast of the same magna 
mater virum, purpose to discard the fraternal relation, and, 
as distinct nations, stand in future to each other in the 
relations of peace or war, blood or gain. Some good- 
natured but not far-seeing men imagine that our Federal 
difficulties will disappear as certainly and suddenly as they 
were suddenly and unexpectedly developed. God grant 
they may; but brothers' quarrels are not lovers' quarrels, 
and it requires but little logic to foresee that, unless the 
black cloud that at present overhangs the great Republic is 
speedily buried in the deep bosom of the ocean, it will 
finally rain down war, bloodshed, and death on these hith- 
erto peaceful and delightful lands. 

" Brethren, I thought it might shed a salutary influence 
on your bleeding hearts to submit to you, in the tranquil- 
lity of a written and read oration, an exhibit of our public 
affairs as they have, at this distracted crisis, impressed 
themselves on my own understanding and heart. I say 
'my heart,' for God is witness to the floods of bitter 
tears I have shed over the disruption of our Federal Gov- 
ernment. 

"I thought that, your fears being soothed by the 
consideration that 'all is not lost that is in danger,' I 
might intercede with you to continue your prayer to God 
in behalf of the Republic ; that he would have this great 
nation in his holy keeping; that he would preserve the 
Union in its integrity; that he would impart wisdom to 
our conservative statesmen ; defeat the counsels of our 
Ahithophels, and cause this magnificent and unparalleled 
government to remain 'one and indivisible, now and 
forever ! ' 

" Union ! But first of Union. Union is of two sorts at 
least; namely, organic or inorganic — i. e., systematic or 
numerical. Systematic union is seen in plants, animals, 



43 6 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

and man, in whose person each particular member is formed 
with relations to all the rest arid to a vital center. We see 
what numerical union is when we look upon the particles 
that go to make up a cup of water or a hillock of sand, be- 
tween which there is no systematic, no organic adhesion, 
no relation of the molecules or atoms to a vital center. 
Now, our States are not put up as a hillock of sand, but, 
like one of the natural systems, with parts formed with 
relations to each other and to a great living center — the 
United States Government. But, to illustrate, let us draw 
upon the analogies of nature. The solar system is not a 
dark, formless, chaotic mass such as it once was, before the 
great Creator said, 'Let there be light,' but is a grand, 
magnificent induction of material orbs and influences, of 
which the great generality or center is the sun himself. 
Analogous to this, the United States is an induction of 
political powers and personages of which the Federal Gov- 
ernment is the great generality or center. These two 
orders of things, the material and the social, are therefore 
put up systematically ; that is, in the solar system, for in- 
stance, each particular planet is formed with solar relations; 
that is, each is formed with relations to the sun's structure. 
Their natural necessities, which are darkness, coldness, des- 
olation, and death, are therefore anticipated and met by the 
effulgence of the sun, his warmth, fruitfulness, and amazing 
wealth of vitality. The planets are, therefore, all great in 
the sun's greatness, all renowned in his renown, all resplen- 
dent in his splendor, all glorified in his glory. This is 
stable, permanent, systematic union. 

"Analogous to the material, in our political system 
each particular State is formed with federal relations. 
Every one of them is politically constructed" with a refer- 
ence to the structure of the general Constitution ; and all 
their political necessities, which are weakness, defense- 
lessness, liability to revolution, and extinction, are met by 



THE CRISIS. 437 

the power, war ordinance, stability, and vast vitality of the 
Federal Government. In the greatness of the General 
Government each State is great; in its- renown, each State is 
renowned ; in its grandeur each is grand ; in its splendor each 
is splendid ; in its glory each is glorified. This is systematic 
political union. Shall it be stable, permanent, enduring? 
"We have, then, already reached what a great philoso- 
pher calls a 'vantage ground,' a summit, a point of eleva- 
tion in our argument for union. Here we may for a moment 
halt and look around us. First, we have seen that the 
American political system is not unsupported by the anal- 
ogies of science. Second, we have seen that the United 
States Government is not like the center of a heap of sand 
or a superficies, a mere index point without magnitude, 
parts, or power, but, like the center of the solar system, is 
the center of a solidarity of States with powers to crush all 
foreign foes. Hence the confederation is called the ' United 
States.' Admit secession to be a law or right, the confed- 
eration is at once transfigured into a simple aggregation, 
and would then more fitly be called the 'Disunited States.' 
Third, T infer that the States being organic, a body politic, 
a confederation, a constitutional order of things, no single 
member can more legitimately divorce itself from the cen- 
tral government than can the central government legiti- 
mately divorce itself from the single State. ' The one can 
not say to the other, I have no need of thee.' Fourth, all 
science is founded on the stability of nature. If the course 
of nature were not the same to-day as it was yesterday, or 
not to-morrow what it is to-day, all confidence would be 
lost ; but science and the safety of all God's creatures re- 
quire that the course of nature should be uniform ; and so 
it is. We look to the sapphire heaven, and at night see 
hung forth there the same starry jewelry at which father 
Abraham gazed with admiration, when the great Creator 
said to him, ' So shall thy seed be. ' The same sun and 



43 $ LIFE OF EIDER WAITER SCOTT. 

moon to which Joshua said, 'Sun, stand thou still upon 
Gibeon, and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon,' enlighten 
us as they enlightened him. Hence, if secession is true, 
the United States Government is unsupported by the anal- 
ogies of nature. For, instead of being like nature, uniform, 
stable, permanent, safe, and reliable, constantly subject to 
secession with impunity, it must ever be weak, unstable, 
the least permanent, the least reliable, and most uncertain 
of all kinds of government. No one will deny that it is 
the rarest and most perfect piece of political workmanship 
ever framed by man, and that from amidst the planetary 
States by which it has hitherto ueen encircled, it looked 
forth upon the benighted nations, with sun-bright glory 
cheering our sin-oppressed nature, over the wide world, with 
high hopes of freedom, security, and an endless progress in 
science, art, and our blessed Christianity. But the doctrine 
of secession has shorn it of half its beams, so that our grand 
government, instead of reminding us of the sun of the nat- 
ural world going forth from the orient with strength and 
shaking his yellow locks round half the world at once, 
rather suggests to us the doleful apocalyptic vision, when 
the third part of the sun was smitten, and a great angel 
flying in the midst of heaven was heard to cry, with a loud 
voice, ' Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth !' 

"I admit there are, and perhaps ever must be, blemishes 
in all human governments, for there are spots in the sun, 
and in 'the system of which he is the center, the planets, 
as in their 'bulging,' sometimes exert a disturbing influence 
and draw each other for a brief space somewhat from their 
straightforward course in their orbits ; but the unity, har- 
mony, and integrity of the solar system is maintained nev- 
ertheless. The doctrine of secession is unknown in the 
heavens. If it is so in God's works ; if there are spots in 
the sun, and disturbing influences in the system of which 
he is the center, we do not expect it to be otherwise in 



THE CRISIS. 439 

man's works; we do not expect the human to excel the 
divine government, nature, or man his Maker ; but we do 
expect that, though blemishes are seen on our body politic, 
and disturbing forces spring upon us unawares and produce 
for a moment slight aberrations from the. straightforward 
course, that there shall be no doctrine of secession accepted 
by the people ; and that, despite imperfections which attaches 
to all human institutions, our hitherto glorious government 
will maintain its unity, harmony, and integrity, these evils 
to the contrary notwithstanding. We may, however, im- 
agine one of the planets to dissolve the bands by which it 
is united to the solar center of light, warmth, and life, and 
run lawlessly through the heavens, but could it do so with- 
out inflicting irreparable injury upon other orbs or being 
itself at last destroyed? Can, then, one or more of our 
States sever the bands which unite it to the central govern- 
ment without inflicting on other States irreparable damage 
or being itself destroyed ? We shall see. 

"But, to conclude my argument for union and against 
secession, before I detail those causes which have led to 
secession, allow me to say, finally, that, as in the astronom- 
ical system there is a tendency in each planet to fly off in 
the direction of centrifugal force, and nothing prevents it 
from doing so but the centripetal or solar power, so man, 
being created with dominion, having in him an innate love 
of independence, he is in danger of revolting and flying 
off in the direction of this inborn ambition, and so of in- 
flicting unspeakable evils on society. Zenophon said he 
had observed that herds were more ready to obey their 
masters than men their magistrates. Unless, therefore, this 
spirit is checked and man's executiveness is placed under 
the restraints of wholesome laws vigorously enforced, an- 
archy will ensue ; but any kind of government is better 
than anarchy. The government, therefore, that will not, 
with all its force, in defiance of all obstacles, put down an- 



44° LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

archy and the doctrine that leads to it, ought itself to be 
put down, as men are more ready to follow a bad example 
than attend to a good precept. If this course is not pur- 
sued with personages working treason, others will imitate 
their insurrectionary precedent, till the infection of revolt 
spreading far and wide among the people, our Union will 
be dissolved and the United Staxes Government perish in 
the whirlpool of bloody revolution. With this view of 
things, it would be impossible for me to admit the legit- 
imacy of secession, unless I could also admit that the United 
States Constitution contemplated its own future destruc- 
tion and provided for it, which is absurd. 

"Such, then, rs our argument against secession and in 
behalf of Union as it has been, and as I hope it may again 
be. We have seen that our politics are a system supported 
by the analogies of nature, and that those who constructed 
that system could not possibly have intended to make any 
provision for its overthrow, such as is secession, but must 
have designed it to be 'one and indivisible, now and 
forever.' " 

At the time the preceding sentiments were penned, 
while the worst was to be feared from the great agi- 
tation both at the North and the South, the worst had 
not yet come. Mr. Scott, however, was far-sighted 
enough to see that the threatened disruption would 
not be a bloodless one, and the prospect overwhelmed 
him with grief. His letters at this period reveal fully 
the state of his mind. In one of them, addressed to 
his eldest son, he writes : 

"I thank God that I have a son who fears the Most 
High, and who loves '/lis own, his native land.' Your 
sentiments and feelings touching the Federal Government 



LETTER TO HIS SON. 44 1 

and the Union of all the States afe so perfectly identical 
with my own, that I need not rehearse them. You say: 'I 
am so disheartened and cast down, so overwhelmed with 
the general gloom that overspreads my dear, my native 
land, that I can scarcely think of any thing else.' These 
words, my son, precisely describe my state of mind. I can 
think of nothing but the sorrows and dangers of my most 
beloved adopted country. God is witness to my tears and 
grief. I am cast down, I am afflicted, I am all broken to 
pieces. My confidence in man is gone. May the Father 
of mercies show us mercy ! Mine eye runneth down with 
grief. In the Revolution, God gave us a man equal to the 
occasion ; but at this gloomy crisis such a man is wanting ; 
let us look to God, then. There was a time in ancient 
Israel's misfortunes when God looked for such a man, a 
man equal to the crisis, but there was none. 'I looked/ 
he says, 'and there was none to save, and I wondered there 
were none to uphold, therefore mine own arm brought 
salvation to me, and my fury it upheld me.' Let us pray 
unceasingly, and trust it will be so now — trust that his own 
arm will bring salvation. Oh, that it might, that all the 
glory may be his ! 

" You ask if I think the Lord will interfere in our be- 
half? I answer, that unless he has decided to destroy us as 
a nation, he will interfere and rescue us from the impending 
vengeance. Let" us, my son, be as Moses in the case, and 
cease not to invoke his interference in our behalf. Let us 
be earnest for our dear country. I had thought that in 
my prayers none could insinuate themselves between me 
and my dear children, but believe me, my son, even my own 
dear flesh and blood has given way to my patriotism — my 
country. Hence, you will infer what earnest grief inspires 
my supplications for the Republic. On Friday, let us go 
before the Lord fasting, and, humbling ourselves before the 
blessed God, confess, in behalf both pf ourselves and our 



44 2 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

dear country, all our sins, and determine, with his help, to 
reform in all things. Let us say, with that great servant of 
the Lord, Moses, * If thou wilt slay all this people, blot me 
out of thy book of life.' For all the nations will hear and 
say that it was because the Lord wanted to destroy them 
that he gave them their great inheritance. Oh, that the 
Lord would forgive the nation and heal the dreadful and 
ghastly wound that has been inflicted on the body of the 
Republic." 

Such were the feelings which overflowed from his 
pious and patriotic heart about the close of the year 
i860, when only one State had seceded, when as 
yet no blow had been struck, when no blood had 
been shed. 



THE EXD A T HAND. 443 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

The end at hand — The news of the fall of Fort Sumter — Taken sud- 
denly ill — Visited by Elders Rogers and Streator — Death — A. Camp- 
bell's tribute to his memory. 

WE have now reached 1861, the last year of the 
life of Elder Scott, and his last days were 
in the dark days of the Republic. We have seen 
already that the distracted state of the country deeply 
affected him, but he had only seen thus far the begin- 
ning of sorrows ; one State only had broken away 
from the rest, like a star falling from the firmament; 
but now they began to fall in quick succession, like 
the angels who kept not their first estate, falling from 
their thrones of light. He now realized that there 
was no hope of a peaceful adjustment, and that the 
land of which he was proud to be a citizen, which 
had been a light to other lands was about to undergo 
a dark and bloody eclipse ; this increased his sorrow 
and filled him with most -painful forebodings, for in 
the madness that ruled the hour he saw nothing but 
disaster and ruin, and feared that, in the storm of the 
impending fraternal strife, the ship of state would be 
wrecked and the best hopes of humanity go down. 

It added to his distress to find that the voice of 
reason and religion was almost lost amid the fierce 
tumult, and he shuddered at the thought that the 
blood of brethren must be shed by brothers' hands. 



444 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

He was several times during the winter called upon 
to address public meetings, and he did so with rare 
eloquence and deep pathos ; his words were words of 
truth and soberness, as far removed as possible from 
the language of the demagogue — words which only 
a true Christian patriot could feel and utter. He 
greatly desired a peaceful settlement of the existing 
troubles ; such a settlement without bloodshed he 
deemed would present to men and angels the grand- 
est spectacle of the power of religion and civilization 
that mankind had ever witnessed ; but much as he 
desired it, he was not sanguine enough to indulge 
any such hope at this time. He thus gave vent to 
his feelings in writing to his son John : 

" My poor wife is sitting by me, reading of Gen. Wash- 
ington, and is as deeply affected by the state of our national 
affairs as I or any other person could be. This terrible affair 
has broken many a heart, and, I fear, if there is not a change 
for the better soon, it will break all hearts. I never heard 
of so grievous a case. Abundance of tears have been shed 
in my family this day over this sad event. It has torn me 
all to pieces. I thank the goodness of God that civil war 
is not yet upon us. If all the Southern States secede with- 
out compromise, they will part from us in the worst spirit, 
and war will follow. Secession is war — Union, peace. I 
fear thai:, unless union is effected immediately, secession 
will reveal itself in the thunders of civil war." 

Soon after this, in a letter without date, in reply to 
one from his son in Pittsburg, dated April ioth, he 
writes that his worst fears were realized. His lan- 
guage is as follows : 



LAST SICKNESS. 445 

"The fate of Fort Sumter, which you had not heard of 
when you wrote — which, indeed, occurred subsequently to 
the date of ycur letter — will now have reached you. Alas, 
for my country ! Civil war is now most certainly inaugu- 
rated, and its termination who can foresee? Who can pre- 
dict? Twice has the state of things filled my eyes with 
tears this day. Oh, my country ! my country ! How I 
love thee ! how I deplore thy present misfortunes !" 

The letter from which we have quoted must have 
been written between the 15th and 20th of April, less 
than one week before his death. No intimation was 
given in it of any illness ; indeed, he was able on 
Monday, the 15th, to visit a number of his friends, 
and, though much depressed by the sad state of the 
affairs of the country, he was to all appearance in his 
usual health. On Tuesday, he was attacked with 
typhoid pneumonia, and rapidly grew, worse ; little 
alarm, however, was felt until the following Lord's 
day, when it was thought necessary to inform his 
children by telegraph that his condition was critical. 
Elder John Rogers, an old friend and beloved fellow- 
laborer, happened to be in Mayslick and called upon 
him, and, though quite ill, found him able to converse 
freely. Elder Rogers was impressed with the thought 
that the end was not far distant, and said to him : 
" Bro. Scott, is this death ?" He replied : "It is very 
like it." " Do you fear death ?" was the next ques- 
tion. " Oh ! no," he said ; " I know in whom I have 
trusted ;" and during the entire interview he mani- 
fested an unwavering faith in the Savior he had 
long preached to others, and whom he now found so 
precious to his own soul. 



446 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

Elder L. P. Streator visited him several times dur- 
ing his illness, and conversed freely with him with 
regard to the change which was evidently near. He 
asked him whether he was conscious that he was 
going to die. "Yes," he answered; "and many a 
true soldier has gone before me over Jordan." 

On Sunday, the 21st, he was evidently sinking 
rapidly. Elder Streator called in, and found him 
much worse, and, taking his hand at parting, said : 
" Bro. Scott, you will soon pass over Jordan." " Do 
you think so ?" said he. " Certainly," was the reply ; 
"it can not be otherwise." He closed his eyes, and 
said, earnestly, " The will of the Lord be done." 

He lay for a time calm and silent, but soon roused 
up as in an ecstasy, and burst forth in a rapturous 
strain. He spoke of the joys of the redeemed when 
they should be ushered into the presence of the 
patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and the 
myriad hosts washed in the blood of the Lamb ; of 
the angelic bands, thrones, dominions, principalities, 
and powers ; of the great white throne and Him that 
sat thereon. He seemed to those who heard him as 
if he stood near the open gate of the celestial city, 
and was describing the glories which met his rav- 
ished sight ; the dim and distant was now bright 
and near, and the worn and weary spirit longed to 
enter in. 

After this, he seemed to be exhausted and fell into 
a quiet slumber. On awaking, he said : " I have been 
greatly blessed ; it has been my privilege to develop 
the kingdom of God. I have been greatly honored." 
He then recounted the names of a number of the 
great and good men with whom he had labored ; 



BE A TIL 447 

among them Thomas and Alexander Campbell, John 
T. Johnson, Barton W. Stone, and Elder John Smith, 
showing that the troubles of the present, which had 
laid as a burden on his soul, were forgotten, and that 
his mind was occupied with the great work of his life 
which the Master had given him to do, and which was 
nearly done. His disease progressed rapidly after 
this ; by Sunday evening he was too low to speak, 
and on Tuesday evening, April 23d, he trustfully and 
peacefully fell asleep in Jesus, in the sixty-fifth year 
of his age. 

His children, who nearly all resided in Pittsburg, 
were not apprised of his illness until danger of its fatal 
termination was apprehended, and, though they lost 
not a moment after hearing the sad and altogether 
unexpected intelligence, they did no reach Mayslick 
until the early dawn of Wednesday morning, and 
were only aware that they were too late to close £iis 
eyes and receive his dying blessing, when they came 
in sight of the house and knew by many nameless 
tokens that death was there. 

All his children, with the exception of his son 
Samuel, were present at the funeral services, which 
were conducted with great feeling and impressive- 
ness by Elder John Rogers and Elder L. P. Streator. 
After which, in the village graveyard, his remains 
were laid to .rest. Several notices of his death ap- 
peared in various journals, religious and secular, the 
most noteworthy of them in the " Millennial Har- 
binger," from the pen of its venerable editor, Alex- 
ander Campbell, whose life-long acquaintance and co- 
operation qualified him to pay the following just and 
merited tribute to his memory : 



44-8 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

"I have not seen any published notice of the death of 
our much beloved and esteemed Elder Walter Scott. I 
have just now learned, by a letter of April -25th, from Bro. 
L. P. Streator, that he was seized, one week before he wrote 
to me, with a severe attack of typhoid pneumonia, at his 
own house, which in seven days terminated his pilgrimage 
on this earth. With the exception of his son Samuel, ab- 
sent from home, he was followed to the grave by all his 
children. 

" No death in my horizon, out of my own family, came 
more unexpectedly or more ungratefully to my ears 
than this of our much beloved and highly appreciated 
brother Walter Scott, and none awoke more tender sym- 
pathies and regrets. Next to my father, he was my most 
cordial and indefatigable fellow-laborer in the origin and 
progress of the present Reformation. We often took coun- 
sel together in our efforts to plead and advocate the para- 
mount claims of original and apostolic Christianity. His 
whole heart was in the work. He was, indeed, truly elo- 
quent, in the whole import of that word, in pleading the 
claims of the Author and Founder of the Christian faith 
and hope, and in disabusing the inquiring mind of all its 
prejudices, misapprehensions, and errors. He was, too, 
most successful in winning souls to the allegiance of 
the Divine Author and Founder of the Christian institu- 
tion, and in putting to silence the cavilings and objec- 
tions of the modern Pharisees and Sadducees of sectarian- 
dom. 

"He, indeed, possessed, upon the whole view of his 
character, a happy temperament. It is true, though not a 
verb, he had his moods and tenses, as men of genius gen- 
erally have. He was both logical and rhetorical in his 
conceptions and utterances. He could and he did simul- 
taneously address and interest the understanding, the 
conscience, and the heart of his hearers, and in his 



A. CAMPBELL'S TRLBUTE TO ILLS MEMORY. 449 

happiest seasons constrain their attention and their acqui- 
escence. 

" He was, in his palmiest days, a powerful and a success- 
ful advocate of the claims of the Lord Messiah on the 
heart and life of every one who had recognized his per- 
son and mission, and especially upon those who had, in 
their baptism, vowed eternal allegiance to his adorable 
name. 

"He, without partiality or enmity in his heart to any 
human being, manfully and magnanimously proclaimed the 
truth, the whole truth, so far as he understood it, regardless 
of human applause or of human condemnation. He had a 
strong faith in the person, and mission, and work of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. He had a rich hope of the life ever- 
lasting, and of the inheritance incorruptible, undenled, 
and unfading. 

"I knew him well. I knew him long. I loved him 
much. We*might not, indeed, agree in every opinion 
nor in every point of expediency ; but we never loved 
each other less because we did not acquiesce in every 
opinion and in every measure. By the eye of faith and 
the eye of hope, methinks I see him in Abraham's 
bosom." 

In the light of his finished life and labors, it is not 
an extravagant eulogy to say that he was a man of 
eminent ability, and that he consecrated all his tal- 
ents to the service of his Lord and Master ; that to 
his magnificent powers of mind were joined humility, 
benevolence, and piety ; that his errors were few and 
his virtues many ; that his life, labors, and example 
are a rich legacy to the church of God. His fame will 
continue to brighten as the years go by, and his mem- 
ory will long be cherished for the service he did for 

38 



45° LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT. 

God and humanity in calling attention to long neg- 
lected and almost forgotten truths. Many, very 
many will be the stars in his crown of rejoicing, and 
we can not doubt that at the final day his welcome 
will be: "Well done, good and faithful servant ; enter 
into the joy of thy Lord." 



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